Thursday, October 16, 2008

Community Service - Read2Succeed


One major component of the DeVos Program is the opportunity to volunteer and interact in the greater Orlando community. The Read2Succeed Program takes place in schools around Orange County with the goals of increasing literacy in area second graders and building these students’ confidence and interest in reading. Since its humble beginnings at five school sites three years ago, the program now enrolls nearly 450 volunteers at over 40 schools.

This semester, Alejandra, Lauren, Jama and myself are volunteering at Hidden Oaks Elementary where we each tutor four children a week. Between interactive group games and one-on-one reading time, we keep our sessions fresh and entertaining for the kids so that they enjoy reading and learn the comprehension skills necessary to keep pace in the classroom.

Alejandra summed up her thoughts on the Read2Succeed Program by saying how rewarding it was just to interact with her students at Hidden Oaks. “I love going in every week and greeting my kids with a smile and hug. We really can’t tell yet how much our efforts together have positively impacted their reading skills, but the kids are definitely more interested in reading overall. Each time I walk them back to their classroom at the end of our session they promise they will read more at home and how they can’t wait to meet again next week.”

Enjoy The Day

- Charlie

No comments: