Want to help kids? Read With Me Volunteer Programs needs volunteers at local schools
Extraordinary things happen when extraordinary men and women volunteer to inspire and help under-resourced children from low-income communities set an educational path towards a successful future.
This has been achieved many times through the nonprofit Read With Me Volunteer Programs. In 2004, Roberta and Clay Klein started the organization after realizing a need to assist local children from limited English speaking environments develop to their fullest potential by learning to read, comprehend and speak English. Students in grades K-6 read to the volunteer and then the volunteer helps with pronunciation and comprehension by asking questions.
There are 17 schools representing the Coachella Valley, Tahoe and Reno in the RWMVP program. In 2015, Cathedral City Elementary School (CCES) in the Palm Springs Unified School District joined the volunteer program. Six enthusiastic individuals stepped up to aid teachers and tutor the students. At CCES the student population is 91% Hispanic or Latino, 99% are socioeconomically disadvantaged and 44% are English learners.
During the second year of operating RWMVP at CCES, the program doubled from the original six volunteers to 13 volunteers. As more and more of the classroom teachers recognized the benefits of these aides helping them, the program grew to 72 volunteers in 2019.
Then COVID hit, and volunteers were no longer allowed on school campuses. After a two-year hiatus, RWMVP volunteers were welcomed back.
Recent studies have shown that when students work with RSMVP volunteers, reading test scores are almost 50% higher than those students who did not have the extra help.
During the shutdown and resulting remote learning, many students have fallen behind. RWMVP now needs a bigger volunteer force to successfully meet the challenges of getting students back on track to reading at grade level. For example, CCES currently has 50 RWMVP tutors, but could use at least 25 more. And that is just for one school.
Volunteers are asked to donate one or two hours a week in a one-on-one mentoring situation or in small groups for eight weeks or more from September until June 5.
“Being a RWMVP volunteer is the most rewarding experience,” said Lynn Baersch, who was one of the original volunteers at CCES. Lynn has expanded her volunteer role to also serve as the RWMVP volunteer coordinator at CCES.
“Meeting with my first-grade students each week is a major highlight in my life,” Baersch said. “It warms my heart to see how eager these students are to learn. As a volunteer, I know that the time I spend with these young people each year is truly making a difference in their lives.”
For more information on how to become a Read With Me Volunteer Program volunteer, please visit the organization’s website at readwithmevolunteers.com. If you would like to contact Baesch directly, she can be reached at baersch@aol.com.
DeAnn Lubell, writer, novelist and publicist, has represented nonprofits and businesses in the areas of marketing, event planning and fundraising productions in the Coachella Valley since 1991. She is a PR and marketing representative for the Boys & Girls Clubs of Coachella Valley and Read With Me Volunteer Programs as well as her own newly founded nonprofit Amy's Purpose, an educational pet safety and predator awareness and counseling service.
This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: Want to help kids? Read With Me needs Coachella Valley volunteers
