Williams’ Tulsa employees have come to experience enjoyment, satisfaction and fulfillment after becoming weekly Reading Partners at our adopted partner school, Sequoyah Elementary. Now even more volunteers are needed to meet a growing demand during the second semester of the 2017-18 school year.

Statistics show that students who are not reading proficiently by the time they reach the third grade are destined for a lifetime of challenges. They are four times more likely to drop out of school, they are more likely to be incarcerated and they will earn significant less than classmates who go on to graduate.

In Tulsa, like many cities across the nation, the nonprofit organization Reading Partners is designed to help these young students gain confidence and enjoyment from reading. At Sequoyah, employees like Beth Stewart volunteer an hour a week to work with elementary students.

“I’ve gained deep satisfaction from helping a child develop the reading skills they need now and later in life,” says Beth, a community relations specialist who administrates employee Homegrown Giving applications. “The great thing is that the program is all laid out for volunteers. Anyone can be a mentor – you do not have to be a teacher – you just want to help kids.”

Last fall, Tulsa’s newly elected mayor, G.T. Bynum, joined others at a city-wide “Rally for Reading,” covered by the Tulsa World. After calling for 2,000 more community volunteers to become Reading Partners, Mayor Bynum signed up to become a volunteer himself. See that story here.

To learn more about Reading Partners and to sign-up as a volunteer, visit https://okvol.my-trs.com/ in Oklahoma or http://readingpartners.org/ for other state programs.