Letter: Thanks, K-4 volunteer tutors, ‘Reading Superheroes’

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To the editor:

The Brown Co. Literacy Coalition (BCLC) sends a big thank-you to our Reading Superheroes and tutors from 2017-2018: Joan Amati, Fagan Baldwin, Richard Baldwin, Gloria Berryman, Jenise Bohbrink, Jonathan Bolte, David Cole, Shari Frank, Karen Franklin, Debbie Kelley, Will Hogan, Samantha McDowell, Becky Minniear, Joe Miller, Jeff Mooney, Donna Ormiston, Nancy Schmutzler, Rita Simon, Laurie Teal, Katrina Vollmer, Bob Westbrook and Kim Young.

Thanks to all of you, 30 kids in kindergarten through fourth grade got a boost of support. Every child showed improvement in reading and self-confidence. Thank you!

BCLC has been providing volunteer after-school tutors to the Brown County elementary schools for many years. This year at Sprunica, a new program was started during the school day: Reading Superheroes. The name “Reading Superheroes” is used to refer to the school day program, but we consider all our tutors and readers to be superheroes.

Who are these superheroes? Some of the BCLC tutors have been volunteering for 16 or more years to help kids read. Some are brand new and finding a way to fit volunteering with kids into their busy schedule between full-time and part-time jobs, being a full-time college student, parenting, grandparenting and many other volunteer commitments.

We want to give a special thank you to The Bank of New York Mellon for their philosophy of giving back to the community, and especially for permitting BCLC volunteer tutor Karen Franklin to leave her job in Indianapolis early one day a week to drive to Brown County to tutor after school.

There are many, many pieces that must all be woven together to create this beautiful tapestry of support.

A big thanks to the kids themselves for putting in the extra time to practice, adding to an already long school day.

And to the teachers who work hard every single day with all the kids, and often went out of their way to provide helpful information to tutors and readers.

And to the kids’ families who recognize the benefit of the extra support, but have the added burden in their busy schedule of picking up the kids after school, since staying for tutoring means they can’t ride the bus.

And to the office administration personnel who make sure the kids get where they need to go.

And to Debbie Kelley for providing training on sex abuse prevention.

And to Deborah Harman, director of student learning, and Alane Lovell, special ed teacher, for providing training in strategies and resources for struggling readers.

And to all principals, the Brown County school district, Title I staff, special ed teachers and reading teachers for their ongoing coordination support.

And many thanks to BCLC donors, Fabulous 50 and the Brown County Community Foundation, who make it possible to buy dictionaries and other books for kids, provide background checks for all tutors and other program support.

You, too, can be a Reading Superhero. If you love to read and want to be part of the solution, please consider volunteering. Just an hour a week can make a big difference for a child! Contact the BCLC at 812-988-6960 or email [email protected].

Shari Frank, BCLC volunteer tutor and 2017-18 tutor coordinator

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