Be the Change

Bailey Conner reads "Bulls and Bulldogs" with Gene Brunkhorst, a Read to Succeed volunteer, Thursday, July 19, 2018 at the Cape Girardeau Public Library.

Fred Lynch ~ Southeast Missourian

Volunteer with Read to Succeed and Read to Excel

For five weeks this summer, fourth-grader Cameron Watson went to the library and read with a Read to Succeed volunteer from the community four days a week, for 30 minutes each day. Over the five weeks, he read six chapter books. At the suggestion of the volunteer, he even checked out the first book in the Harry Potter series from the library.

The best part? He says he enjoys reading.

“They’re my favorite kinds of books,” Watson says of what he gets to read through the program. “They’re mysteries. There’s always something cool at the end.”

Cameron’s reading at the library was facilitated this summer with the help of the Cape Girardeau Public Library through the United Way’s Read to Succeed and Read to Excel programs. Read to Succeed, for kindergarten and first-grade students, operates during the school year at four schools in Cape Girardeau and at Scott City Elementary.

Kinsley Cattoor, left, reads "The Bat Rat" with Sherry Brookover, a Read to Succeed volunteer, Wednesday, July 18, 2018 at the Cape Girardeau Public Library.

Fred Lynch ~ Southeast Missourian

The Delta Regional Authority launched Read to Excel last year for second-grade through sixth-grade students at Franklin and Jefferson Elementary Schools and Central Middle School in Cape Girardeau. While the grant for Read to Excel was eliminated with federal budget cuts, both programs have secured funding for next year from individuals, civic organizations and Cape Girardeau Public Schools.

Volunteers with Read to Succeed work to develop reading skills with students who are average readers and have been recommended for the program by classroom teachers. The goal of Read to Succeed is to give beginning readers the extra push they need to be successful.

Read to Excel volunteers work with students who struggle with reading and are behind in reading by at least one grade level — in some instances by several grade levels. The goal is to help them catch up to their appropriate reading level.

Robin Koetting, Read to Succeed program manager, says students’ test scores at the beginning and end of each semester show measurable gains in both programs. Read to Succeed students typically gain a year and a half of reading growth per semester they are involved in the program. Nearly two-thirds of the struggling readers in Read to Excel demonstrated a year’s growth in just one semester, and even more gained a whole reading level, allowing them to catch up to grade-level proficiency.

“It’s significant,” Koetting says of the two hours per week the students in the program spend reading with volunteers. “We couldn’t do it without volunteers — volunteers are our program. That dedication and that willingness to want to do it and to be there to see all these kids succeed, it’s what makes us go.”

This school year, both the Read to Succeed and Read to Excel programs will be under the blanket name “Read to Succeed,” to eliminate confusion. They will continue to focus on helping struggling readers in kindergarten through sixth grade.

People from the community can volunteer for 30 minutes to four hours per week, and generally work with the same child each day and week. Working one-on-one with a volunteer, the student reads through multiple series of books out loud, while the volunteer listens and helps the student identify unknown words. Volunteers also discuss the story, pictures and the student’s reactions to the text with the child.

Betty Henson has been volunteering with Read to Succeed since the program’s inception in 2011. She has volunteered at both Blanchard and Jefferson elementary schools. She says she most enjoys watching the children grow from struggling to confident readers throughout the school year, knowing their burgeoning reading skills will help them to be more successful in every subject throughout the rest of their school days.

“I love children and I love reading, and this puts it all together,” she says. “I don’t see anything more rewarding than seeing children grow in this program, because you may be making a difference in their whole life.”

There are six main benefits of volunteering, according to the Mayo Clinic: it decreases the risk of depression, gives a sense of purpose, helps volunteers stay physically and mentally active, reduces stress levels, increases life expectancy and helps develop new, enriching relationships.

To help you live your best years fully, this month in the second installment of TBY’s “Be the Change” Volunteer Series, we focus on the United Way’s Read to Succeed and Read to Excel programs.