MARION COUNTY, FL (352today.com) – Do you want to make a child’s life better? Marion County’s ReadingPals program is looking for volunteers to read to kindergarteners.
United Way of Marion County’s ReadingPals program gives volunteers the opportunity to read to a kindergartener who needs extra help with literacy skills. As a volunteer, you can invest in a student’s future by building a one-on-one relationship with them. You will also serve as a mentor for the child and assist in their social-emotional development process.
“Children need to learn to read so they can read to learn,” says ReadingPals Program Director Jan Hathaway.
To be a volunteer, you must attend volunteer training, pass a background screening (at no cost to you), and commit to reading to a child during the school day for 28 weeks. Volunteers will donate one hour a week at 18 elementary schools and 22 classrooms within the county.
“Your investment of time will make all the difference in the life of a child,” says Hathaway.
A workshop will also be held in the Bonnie Health Community Room at United Way in Marion County Thursday, November 16. At the workshop, presented by Marion County Public Schools, you will receive information about social-emotional learning and the tools needed to succeed in reading to a kindergartener.
If you would like to become a ReadingPal, click here for instructions.