SMART Reading Seeks Volunteers to Inspire Literacy in The Dalles Elementary Schools
From SMART Reading:
By Kate Drahota
The Dalles, Ore. — Do you have a little time to spare each week to help spark the joy of reading for kids in The Dalles? Children's literacy nonprofit SMART Reading has a high need for volunteer Readers and volunteer Site Coordinators at Chenowith, Colonel Wright, and Dry Hollow Elementary Schools.
Volunteer Readers spend an hour a week reading one-on-one with students to provide reading practice time in a fun, low-pressure environment. Students also select two books each month to keep. Site Coordinators organize the weekly reading sessions at a school and assist the volunteer Readers. SMART Reading can't run these important programs without community volunteers! No experience needed, and training is provided.
SMART Reading is a supportive partner to schools, supplementing literacy instruction with two key ingredients for reading success: reading support and access to books. “Our mission is to spark joy and opportunity through the magic of a shared book,” says Jennifer Zardinejad, SMART Reading’s Northeast Area Director. “Right now, over half of Oregon’s young students are not reading at grade level, which is hugely concerning. Volunteering with SMART is a chance to have an impact right here in our community, one book and one child at a time.”
Volunteers get a rewarding experience as they provide important reading practice time and fun experiences with books. Over 200 students in The Dalles alone participated in SMART Reading last school year and chose around 2,800 books to take home.
Since 1992, SMART Reading has paired over 150,000 volunteers to read with 290,000 children and has put over 4.5 million books in the homes of the children it serves.
To learn more and get involved, contact Kate Drahota, SMART Reading's Program Manager for Northeastern Oregon, at 541-436-5457, or visit www.SMARTReading.org to submit a volunteer application.
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