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For many, the conclusion of summer can be bittersweet - vacations end, children go back to school, and time seems to speed up, as daylight is scarcer with each passing day. But at Black River United Way, the end of summer and the approach of fall brings with it an exciting season of impact.
NOW LAUNCHING: Heroes For Literacy!
In September, our new Heroes For Literacy program will launch in 4 local elementary schools! Heroes For Literacy (H4L) is a volunteer opportunity that allows community members to become everyday heroes in the literacy development of a child. These volunteers will dedicate one and a half hours a week to work with small groups of children in Kindergarten through 3rd grade who are struggling in reading.
How does it work? H4L follows the school year calendar and is broken up into four, 9 week sessions. Our heroes will commit to serving for at least one of those nine week sessions - one quarter of the school year - but are welcome to serve for additional sessions or the entire school year. Participating schools will identify students who need extra support in reading based on testing assessments and grades and will refer these students to the H4L program. Students will then be placed into small groups and the school will schedule a consistent time during the week for volunteers to come and work with these students for 30 minutes per group.
H4L volunteers will be trained by education consultants prior to their nine week session and will be equipped with simple lessons and activities to complete with their assigned students. Our goal is for children to improve their literacy skills and become more confident in their reading ability with each session. We will measure progress towards this goal both qualitatively - through increased student engagement in the sessions - and quantitatively through academic improvement in reading demonstrated by students' scores on tests such as the Dibbels, IReady, or Heggerty Assessments.
What I love about our new Heroes For Literacy program is that it provides the opportunity for community members to make a meaningful difference in a child’s journey towards successful reading, without requiring a year-long commitment. If you are able to commit to serving for a season - nine weeks - you will give extra support to a group of children to improve their literacy skills and help them tap into their reading superpowers!
Become a Hero Today! - Learn More & Sign Up HERE
Launching September 2024 at:
Andrews Elementary School, Kensington Elementary, Maryville Elementary, & Hemingway Elementary Schools
Launching January 2025 at:
Greeleyville STEAM Academy Elementary School & W.M. Anderson Primary
REAL Mentors
Our REAL Mentors program is back and is growing - serving 5 elementary schools this fall. REAL Mentors is designed to create and support a culture of literacy in first grade classrooms. REAL Mentors are volunteers who commit to read and discuss a book once or twice a month to a designated classroom and each participating student will receive a copy of the book to add to their own personal libraries. If you only have an hour once or twice a month this is a great opportunity to help foster a love of reading and books amongst young students.
Pickle For Progress
We’re getting so excited for our first ever pickleball tournament fundraiser - Pickle For Progress. Pickle For Progress is coming to East Bay Park on Saturday, September 28th, 2024. The tournament will feature four competitive events - Men’s, Women’s, Mixed Doubles Age 65 & Under, and Mixed Doubles Age 66 & Above - with divisions for nearly every player skill level (2.5, 3.0, 3.5, 4.0). Registration for the all day tournament is $55 and includes a t-shirt, SWAG Bag, and victory beverage. Funds raised from the tournament will support our early child success and disaster resiliency initiatives in Georgetown and Williamsburg Counties. I hope you will join me for an exciting day that combines the wellness, camaraderie and fun of pickleball while making a difference in our community.
A s we head into this school year with a renewed focus and support for our efforts to ensure early childhood success through 3rd grade reading achievement and kindergarten readiness initiatives, I am reminded of why we focus on these initiatives as a United Way:
Nearly two-thirds of children in Georgetown and Williamsburg Counties are reading below grade level by the end of the third grade and less than half of children in our community enter Kindergarten ready.
Early learning struggles can have a life-long impact, both for the child and the community, but it doesn’t have to be that way. What we do today, tomorrow, and throughout the 2024-2025 school year matters, and can make a tremendous impact, both for the children we serve, and for our community in the future.
Black River United Way is determined to change the current reality of early grade reading and kindergarten readiness in our community, and with your help, will change these realities, working towards a bold goal of 90% of children reading successfully by the end of the third grade in 2040. Through gifts of our time, our dollars, and our influence, each of us has the opportunity and ability to make a difference and contribute towards this bold goal.
I am excited to witness firsthand how the work we do today has an impact on the community of tomorrow. In the words of Malala Yousafzi, “Let us remember: One book, one pen, one child, and one teacher can change the world.”
Thank you for changing the world in your community through your partnership with Black River United Way. Together, we can make a difference “one book, one pen, one child, and one teacher at a time”!
Your President & CEO,
Yolanda McCray
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