Reading truly does open a child’s world

“I told Roman that his reading had improved a lot and asked what had helped him the most. He said, ‘Grandpa helped me the most.’”

Grandpa is Roman’s ROW volunteer and comes to read with him every week.

“The students LOVE when their mentors arrive - their faces light up!  Now all the kiddos want to be a ROW reader.”

“WOW! This has been an amazing experience for both the students at Sentinel High School and Russell Elementary. The littles [elementary students] are learning and my students [high schoolers] are getting meaningful teaching experience.”

“I think ROW is an amazing opportunity for both volunteers and students to build a meaningful relationship while working through books and reading skills together. My favorite aspect of ROW is giving my reader books to add to his personal library and seeing his confidence grow as he reads and enjoys them all on his own.”

“Volunteering with ROW has been a very rewarding experience for me. I have been able to see the children make positive progress in their reading ability and how proud they are of themselves as they improve. Hopefully, one day they will be our next ROW volunteers.”

“Reading Opens Your World has been an amazing experience for students of all ages. This program supports Early Literacy and helps bring people together through the love of books. Through this program students expand their knowledge not only of language but of building relationships that enhance the reading process for a lifetime.”

“Our daughter participated in the ROW program at Lewis & Clark Elementary this year as a second grader. Since then, she has become far more interested and involved in reading, not only together, but on her own as well. Her reading skills have developed significantly and she looks forward to the weekdays where she gets to meet with her ROW volunteer. Thanks, Lauren, for establishing this much needed program.”

“Working with Lauren and the ROW program has been such an amazing partnership for our students. They are able to build a one-on-one connection with a trusted adult which is a known protective factor for students with trauma. The mentors are also able to foster a lifelong love of literacy as they engage in shared readings and conversations with students."

“It's been fun building relationships with my students and so rewarding to see their reading skills develop. Time spent with them as a ROW volunteer is always a bright spot in my week!”

“I love every bit about this program! This is the kind of work that moves the dial for students, both big and little! Thank you everyone for your commitment to providing these experiences.”