Read a book, change a life. Volunteering with Lead to Read KC

Lead to Read KC is a Member of Nonprofit Connect. They are a children’s literacy nonprofit dedicated to supporting the social, emotional and reading skills that are foundational for student success by advancing their literacy platform and mobilizing community volunteers. Learn more about Lead to Read KC and their services here.
 
Lead to Read KC’s primary focus may be on improving literacy, but we also value our Reading Mentors' roles as caring, dependable adults in the lives of our students. Building strong relationships is central to our mission.
 
National Volunteer Month is the perfect time to recognize our dedicated volunteer Reading Mentors and Board Members who have supported us as we navigate uncharted territory to continue to serve children at a time of critical need. Our volunteers have helped us every step of the way since our program began in 2011.


📷: Lead to Read KC Volunteer Susan McCullick of JE Dunn with her student at Garfield Elementary.
 
Children who have strong relationships with caring adults are more likely to be engaged at school and be more motivated to succeed academically. Students who have strong relationships with adults in their school also have higher levels of social and emotional well-being. (Search Institute)

Connections Matter, an organization promoting healthy connections and strong communities, takes it a step further in recognizing that spending one-to-one time with a child builds healthy brain connections. Positive relationships and new experiences create new brain connections at any age, which boosts health and happiness.
 
"Every day connections are more important than we ever believed. Science tells us that relationships have the power to shape our brains. With each connection, we develop a healthier, stronger community." — Connections Matter
 
The unfortunate conclusion The National Promises study revealed is that nationwide, 40 percent of younger children do not have caring adults in all areas of their lives; that is, in their homes, schools and communities.
 
Add it all up, and it’s clear: Positive relationships with caring adults can change a child’s life.
 
The pandemic has heightened the need for reading and mentoring support, so Lead to Read KC has diversified our services to serve our students and community in new ways. This includes partnering with Hoot Reading to develop a web-based guided reading app and offering schools a turn-key, one-to-one tutoring program. We are now serving hundreds of students in dozens of classrooms.
 
But we didn’t stop there. To support students’ social-emotional learning — as well as health and wellness — we expanded our author visit program. And, we created a community book distribution initiative. Making books more accessible to children outside of schools and libraries is important, because children spend 80 percent of their waking hours outside of school.

 
📷: A mother and her children visit Lead to Read KC's Booth at the PARKing Day Festival.

None of this would be possible without community partners, from donors to volunteers. We are always looking for dedicated community volunteers. Join us! You can help a child catch up, keep up and thrive.

Lead to Read KC
Lead to Read KC’s mission is to support the social, emotional and reading skills that are foundational for student success by advancing our literacy platform and mobilizing community volunteers. Learn more about their services here.
 
If you’d like to be another caring adult in the life of a Kansas City student, learn how to become a Reading Mentor at leadtoreadkc.org/volunteer. And, if you’d like some ideas on how to get the conversation started with a young person in your life, check out our Meaningful Questions to Ask to Get to Know Your Student.



📷 Cover photo: A student at Crossroads Academy - Quality Hill said he 'hit the jackpot' after receiving a Sonic The Hedgehog book donated by Lead to Read KC's Community Partner Turner Construction.

Stay up to Date
Get Nonprofit Connect's new blog posts and latest insights in your inbox. Subscribe to The Link weekly email newsletter.