The Power of Reading
Reading is an essential skill to learn at a young age. A group of volunteers from the City of Charlotte spends half an hour a week at a local school to do just that, read to students. When the structured program ended, the city decided to continue reading.
About the Program
The city partnered with United Way’s Read Charlotte initiative and employees volunteered at Sedgefield Elementary. That program ended in June 2019 and the city decided to create its own reading program at Pinewood Elementary School. This school is a Title 1 school and really needed help with reading volunteers. The city also partnered with the library to donate books and held its own book drive to create a library of more than 250 books.
The volunteers and program are known as Reading Buddies. Volunteers visit every Thursday at 8 a.m. for half an hour, most stopping by on the way into work. The program reaches 90 kindergarten students across five classrooms and the volunteers try to read one-on-one. The kids decide which book to read.
“One of the things that they love the most is choosing the books we will be reading. We have several bins full of all kinds of books. Some children will choose the same book each week. I read Fancy Nancy 50 times last year. Others choose different books each week. As long as they are having fun and strengthening their love of reading, it doesn’t matter what we read. It’s exciting to think that 30 minutes of my day may have a positive impact on how a child feels about reading.” -Christi Floyd, Economic Development
More than reading
The program means a lot for both volunteers and the children. Whether it’s a personal interest in reading, teaching children or serving the community, there’s many reasons volunteers participate in the program.
“Seeing the childrens’ little faces light up when we walk into the room is reward enough for me. I hope they see us and they think ‘I want to help others too.’ This is what life is all about, helping each other.” — Kimberly Byrd, Office of the City Clerk
“I am so grateful that the City allows its employees to spend 30 minutes a week serving in this way. It not only benefits the children, but the adults as well. This is the highlight of my week and I look forward to participating for a long time.” -Christi Floyd, Economic Development
The program is all about making reading fun. Studies show that 96% of third grade students reading at grade will graduate on time from high school. These reading sessions are individualized and very interactive. Volunteers also discuss sight words, illustrations and sequence of a story. Some kids can even read along. Most of all, it’s about fun.
“Reading helps them learn new things, use their imaginations, discuss things that are happening in the book and relate them to their own lives. For instance, today, I read a Curious George story about camping. We talked about our experiences camping, roasting marshmallows, etc.” — Lisa Flowers, City Attorney’s Office
Become a Reading Buddy
The program started with 65 employees, but now there’s 47. The city is looking for more readers. The time spent reading is a part of your working hours. If you would like to join, please contact Cindy Clemens at cclemens@charlottenc.gov.
