Thursday is Book Club at Wheatley Farms & Arts Center. For more than two years, Robyn Semilof, a parent advocate and longtime volunteer, has shared her love of reading and built a morning group people look forward to attending each week.

The Book Club brings together 12 people supported by Day Services at Seaford, Bethpage, and Lynbrook hubsites to explore new stories, share opinions, and above all connect.

Thanks to Robyn’s care and interest in keeping the reading fresh, members discover new ideas in a welcoming group, where people get to know each other and notice when someone isn’t attending that day.

The group’s friendly focus is a testament to Robin, who started the book club in September 2023 to deepen her connection to the community, as her son, Miles, nears graduation at sister agency, Brookville Center for Children’s Services.

“One day, Miles is going to be in a position where he’s going to be doing some sort of day activity and I wanted to get involved in any aspect of what he may be doing,” Robyn said. “Also, I think what we do here is nice and I would like him to have nice things to do, always.”

Personal choice and fun are important parts of Book Club. When picking new titles, Robyn reads aloud summaries of two titles of interest, then the group takes a vote.

“A lot of the stories we read are about people who have special needs,” Robyn said. “I like to catch everybody up if they missed something so it can take about six months to get through a book, so we’ve gravitated toward short stories.”

After reading, the group discusses the book’s themes and what resonated with them. They ask questions, share, and mention situations that relate to their own life. Other times, they take part in the activities the book mentions. Once, they read a book about baking, and Robyn assisted as they made cookies in the farmhouse kitchen, making for a truly immersive experience.

Spending time together and celebrating re also important parts of Book Club.

“They’re a very social group,” Robyn said, “We have a party for pretty much every holiday. They like to party.”

Robyn’s advice for anyone interested in volunteering is to just get involved. “Anything special that someone thinks they can share and bring a class to, they can do it.”

Interested in volunteering? Visit www.ahrc.org/volunteer.