Reading Power: Fostering the Promise of Literacy

Beth Zender, Community Engagement & Volunteer Manager, has been with Reading Power for 5 years; she joined Reading Power in 2019 as a volunteer tutor and then joined staff in 2022 after the pandemic, when Reading Power decided to actively work to reach more students at risk of literacy failure. Teaching reading has always been a passion of hers. Prior to staying home to raise her two boys, she was a Communication Arts Teacher at Adlai E. Stevenson High School. She holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Liberal Arts and Sciences and a Master’s Degree in Curriculum and Instruction from the University of Illinois. High-quality education for all students has always been a passion of hers, and Reading Power is providing that to students in under-resourced schools.

Olivia Shinners recently joined Reading Power as a Volunteer Coordinator. She will be helping recruit more volunteer tutors, so that Reading Power can continue to reach more students. She holds a Bachelor's Degree in Diplomacy & World Affairs from Occidental College and brings her experience from working on research and data management for international organizations. Olivia currently teaches fitness and yoga classes at Life Time Lake Zurich, where she's proud to build community around the goal of people living happier, healthier lives. She chose to join Reading Power because she's passionate about making progress toward equity for young students in her local community

Rotary International's Basic Education and Literacy Month is celebrated in September. Rotary clubs and districts are encourged to work on a variety of projects to promote literacy and basic education.  In recognition of Literacy Month, the Lake Forest-Lake Bluff Rotary Club has invited Reading Power to provide an update on its programs.  Several members of our Club are Reading Power tutors.

Joining us from Reading Power will be Beth Zender, Community Engagement and Volunteer Manager and Olivia, Reading Power's newly appointed Recruitment Coordinator.

Reading Power provides individualized, high-dosage, one-to-one tutoring in person during the school day for children in preschool through second grade. We do this by partnering with schools needing supplemental literacy support, where needs exceed resources.

Reading Power’s highly trained volunteer tutors provide one-to-one literacy instruction during the school day under the guidance of educational professionals. Lesson plans structure each tutoring session and are individualized daily for each student. Each kindergarten through second grade session encompasses reading, writing, and speaking to foster the promise of literacy. The target population for the kindergarten through second grade programs is students scoring below the 25th percentile on universal assessments, thus reading below grade level. This past school year many students started below the 10th percentile.

Host: John (JJ) Johnson