Donation bolsters ReadingPals program

UnitedWay of Broward County recently received a check fromthe AT&T Pioneers in support of the ReadingPals program.

ReadingPalswas introduced in 2012 by UnitedWay to help improve the reading levels of elementary students. Hundreds of volunteers have since been trained and deployed throughout the community as reading coaches. These reading coaches spendweeks reading and mentoring individual students for an hour at a time in the classroom, having donated more than 22,000 hours of service over the years.

The AT&T Pioneers is a volunteer network through the company withmembers such as Pat Caruso, one of the 55 employees in South Florida who received the Gold President’s Volunteer Service Award. Caruso recently presented the check to Cannon at the AT&T Service Yard in Plantation.

The initiative has grown so much through its fifth anniversary that it is now launching into the 2017-18 school year with a total of 20 sites, including an expansion into the municipalities of Deerfield Beach andMargate. — Pat Caruso, recipient of the Gold President’s

Although ReadingPals has seen the number of students reached increase from 167 in the first year to 378 during 2016-17, the programstill finds itself tackling what is known as the “summer slide.” This is a period of time where children tend to lose months of learning during the break, which could accumulate to as much as a two-year lag in reading achievement.

Many students are facing the summer slide because of a lack of access to books, an issueUnitedWay hopes to address by providing students with reading kits over the summer.

Kathleen Cannon, president and CEO of the county’sUnitedWay, said they’re hoping to get around 20,000 books for the summer to combat the slide. The Pioneers’ latest donation of $209.50 will help sponsor 10 children through the reading program. Volunteer Service Award

“We really cannot do thework in the community withoutwonderful companies like AT&T,” said Cannon.

The senior sourcing specialist said they normally fundraise through pizza sales and bake sales, among other methods, to help support organizations like theUnitedWay. Caruso said theywanted to help with the summer reading programbecause of its impact on the children’s growth process.

“It’s very important in the aspect that children are able to have access to books and be able to read and be able to growand learn fromreading,” said Caruso.

For more information on theUnited Way of Broward County’s ReadingPals program, visitUnitedwaybroward.org/ readingpals.

junreyes@tronc.com