April 25, 2024

READS program seeks volunteers

By SCOTT VICKER

Paddy Schroeder, Creston Parent-Teacher Organization president, reads the book "People Do Silly Things" with Nico Leppla in December 2015 in the Creston Elementary/Middle School commons. Creston's Read, Enjoy And Develop Success (READS) program, in which community members visit the school to read with a first-grader once a week for 30 minutes, begins in November. Program Director Chris Mansour said about 38 volunteers are still needed for this year. (CNA file)

The Creston Read, Enjoy And Develop Success (READS) program is in search of volunteers for the 2016-17 school year.

According to Program Director Chris Mansour, about 38 more volunteers are needed for this year. In total, 102 volunteers were needed for this year.

The READS program, which falls under Creston Dollars for Scholars, provides a reading buddy for first-graders at Creston Elementary and St. Malachy schools. The reading buddy spends 30 minutes per week reading with his or her student.

“It’s obviously educational support,” Mansour said. “It helps their reading skills, but also to have another caring adult in their life. We know from research it can help them do better in school and possibly have better attendance and decrease negative behaviors by having that extra caring adult in their life.”

With many volunteer slots already filled, Mansour said she still needs more so volunteers can work one-on-one with students as opposed to having two students.

The READS program begins the week of Nov. 7. Volunteers must first fill out an application, pass a background check and attend one of two training sessions: 5:15 p.m. Oct. 18 or 11 a.m. Oct. 25.

“If they can’t come to those, we make arrangements for them to get their training before they can start,” Mansour said. “At the training session we would explain to them the value of reading to students and both the expectations and benefits of being that caring adult. But also reading strategies to help them with the student that are appropriate for first-graders.”

Mary Jo Borcherding has volunteered with the READS program for about six years.

“Since I like to read, I like sharing that with the kids,” Borcherding said. “It’s also fun to watch them grow from when we first start reading with them in the fall and seeing how they progress in the spring.”

Creston Kiwanis donates books for volunteers to give their reading buddies as Christmas gifts.

“I think the more kids read and read out loud, the better they’re going to become as readers,” Borcherding said.

Mansour said getting involved in the READS program is an easy way to give back to the community.

“We know that reading is important for lifetime skills and to do well in all subjects in school,” she said. “Anything we as a community can do to help that is really important. Reading with a first-grader each week seems like a good way to help out.”

Anyone interested in volunteering can contact Mansour at 641-782-4382.

Borcherding said it’s worth a try volunteering.

“Give it a year and I think you’ll be hooked,” Borcherding said.