Deemed to never have a chance in the world, Steve Pemberton, author of “The Lighthouse Effect,” remembers the looks of pity, having no idea who would help him.
Attending a national conference of United Way partners earlier this year, I am still struck by Pemberton’s words.
Equally moving, we heard from incredible leaders in organizations such as UPS — leaders who attest the only reason they are where they are today was the result of one person who took the time to see and care for them being able to read, being successful.
This past week, Charlotte County Reads partners took the time to thank the human lighthouses in our community, those being a beacon for others. At lunch sponsored by school board member and Reading Buddy Volunteer, Kim Amontree, partners and volunteers convened to offer gratitude, and a rally call for more reading buddies.
Maria Jenkins of the Boys & Girls Club of Charlotte County nominated the Reading Buddy volunteer of the year, Linda Blinn, and shared how impactful she is with her students.
Blinn brings such a safe and fun environment that makes reading easy to master. She presents reading as a fun way to learn new things, places, and people.
She also makes connections with her buddies which allows her buddies to stay engaged in reading and using proper social skills.
A student shared, “I love my Reading Buddy Linda Blinn because she takes the time to make sure I can read every word and understand their meanings. She never judges when I cannot pronounce a word or if I say it wrong. She redirects me with a smile on her face including telling me what the word means. She cares about me.”
Charlotte County Superintendent Mark Vianello provided accolades and updates on the impact of the Reading Buddy program from this last school year.
In a time when students are still catching up from the pandemic and Hurricane Ian, an astounding 74% of students matched with a Reading Buddy showed a learning gain with that number at 55% for the district.
In the last school year, 64 students were matched with a goal of 100 for this next school year. Forty-nine volunteers contributed 868 hours of care and love for our students with an incredible return.
Pemberton noted that, “all those who wrote my case file never saw you who came into my life. The Books didn’t judge me. None of us forget who sees us first. We mark our life by you.”
To our Reading buddies, our lighthouses: Thank you on behalf of the Charlotte County Reads partners.
If we as a community know that a Reading Buddy makes a difference, if we know this changes the trajectory of a single life, then our collective answer ONLY becomes, we need more Reading Buddies. This is our end in mind, more reading buddies for more Steve Pemberton’s who mark their life by them. That is our charge.
What is Reading Buddy, you ask?
Reading Buddy volunteers read with a student once a week for up to an hour after school at one of the Boys & Girls Club or YMCA locations in Charlotte County. Training for this commitment will occur once a month for this next school year, the next one being 10 a.m. Sept. 10.
To learn more about this program or to volunteer, visit: unitedwayccfl.org/BeALighthouse
The Charlotte County Reads partnership is between The Patterson Foundation, Charlotte County Public Schools, United Way of Charlotte County, Boys & Girls Club of Charlotte County and YMCA of Southwest Florida.
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