It’s no secret that reading is a fundamental skill that all children need in order to succeed in school. The
United Way of Southeast Missouri's “Read to Succeed” program is about to begin another school year where volunteers spend time each week with Kindergarten students in the Cape Girardeau School District helping them learn to read.
Nancy Jernigan is the Executive Director of the United Way of Southeast Missouri and says the program began with the GRACES Women's Council of the United Way that was seeking projects 5 years ago. The program was piloted at Blanchard Elementary and has taken off since. This year, "Read to Succeed" will be available in five Cape Girardeau Elementary schools.
Charla Myers is the new director of the "Read to Succeed" program and says that it takes around 200 volunteers to conduct the program. Volunteers can give the program as little as 30 minutes a week, one time a week or more if their schedule allows.
Myers says that there is training involved for those who volunteer but it isn't complicated and takes about two hours. There will be two training sessions this year during the first week in September and the week of September 15, the kick-off week for the program.
The long-term impact of "Read to Succeed" is unknown since the program is still in its infancy but Jernigan says the schools have been extremely pleased with the results they've seen thus far. In fact, Cape Public Schools is now funding half of the cost of the program. As the schools keep close tabs of reading assessments and scores, the results show improvement thanks to "Read to Succeed."
If you are thinking about volunteering and making an impact in the education of a child, Myers says, "If you've got the heart to volunteer and you have 30 minutes a week, we can find a place for you to serve."
If you have questions or would like to volunteer or have questions about how you can help, contact the United Way of Southeast Missouri at (573) 334-9634.
