Books, Budget Cuts, and Big Dreams

by Lauren Richwine, Communications Specialist

With the budget cuts that our schools have been facing recently, teachers are in the same boat as many employees: they are expected to do more with less. United Way’s Learn United initiative is still looking for 250 more volunteers to work with elementary school children to improve their reading skills. To date, the organization has recruited 750 local volunteers who are busy helping with programs like Study Connections, Real Men Read, and more. Other volunteers work with students in the classroom during the regular school day.

Growing up, both of my parents read to me all the time. They never assumed something was “above” my reading level and instead encouraged me to tackle the bigger books. I think I picked up my first C.S. Lewis non-fiction at age 10. It was the same with my younger sisters. Trips to the library were always a celebrated treat and I loved delving into the unknown and uncharted territory of a new book. Those seemingly small influences have had great bearing on my life. I went on to major in professional writing and am now a cog in the great machine of marketing and communications.

When I first read about the large literacy gap that many of our children are facing, my heart went out to them. I knew I had to get involved and help be a part of the solution. Often such things are the result of well meaning parents who have neither the time nor ability to encourage reading and writing. Many children are seeing less and less of their parents when they get home from school because more hours are being logged to keep the house or pay the meager grocery bill.

It has been a joy to work with the children as they struggle over words or try to remember how to format a simple letter. Eyes light up when little minds realize how fun writing and reading can be. The fact is, children learn to read up until about third grade and from that point on, they either read to learn or they stop reading altogether. They need someone to help open their eyes to the world of words. If that doesn’t happen, the difficult trajectory of their lives is often set for them.

There are a wide variety of ways to help and the commitment can be as little as one hour a week or as much as you want. For more information on Learn United or how to help out, visit www.learnunited.org and explore the volunteer opportunities.