The Community Foundation recently provides grants to the United Way of CNY to support the operating costs of the Book Buddies program that provides one-on-one volunteer based reading assistance to children in the Syracuse City School District.
At KS&R, we have supported Book Buddies from the very beginning. With my own three daughters going through the Syracuse City School system, it was easy to recognize the need for extra help and support required to be successful in those early years of learning. And within months of being involved with Book Buddies, it was easy to see the positive impact of this program. The relatively “simple” task of providing extra opportunities for kids to read, enforces what they learn every day, and builds confidence for future reading success.
Now, all these years later, we can actually measure that positive impact of the Book Buddies investment. It is hard to debate the correlation between learning to read on-level and future academic/personal success. Any number of studies validate this fact. Once a student slides below level, it becomes very difficult to get back on par. Book Buddies provides that little extra boost to help students thrive during those early years and keep them on pace for future success.
While the impact on these young learners is the primary objective, we can also see the positive impact on the volunteers who spend one hour a week working with these students. Seeing their progress and excitement while they improve from week to week is amazing. Participating in that improvement brings a satisfaction level that is hard to match.
I thank the organizers and volunteers who make Book Buddies such a success. I encourage anyone in the community to consider giving an hour a week to support this cause, you won’t regret it.
