5 Reasons Volunteering to Read with Children in 2018 is a Great Idea

“Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It’s not.”
~ Dr. Seuss

It’s a new year! We’re ready to make a difference, and we’re calling on you to help. Our goal is to have every child reading on grade level by the time they finish 3rd grade. This year, we don’t want to get closer to our goal. We need to get closer, because the future success of our children depends on it. To do that, we need Literacy Partners for every student. You can help with that. You can be a volunteer with Education Connection, and make that difference. Not convinced?

Here are 5 reasons why you should volunteer:

  1. Volunteering is good for you, too.
    Studies show that volunteering helps lower depression and stress levels. It gives one a sense of purpose, and it contributes to feelings of happiness by releasing hormones to the brain, like endorphins and dopamine. Additionally, when you read to a child, you stimulate your own brain as well, increasing memory and mental acuity. You may even live longer.
  2. Volunteering creates connection.
    As we move through an even more connected virtual world, we continue to struggle with in-person relationships. This lack of tangible connection deteriorates our quality of life. Children are incredibly susceptible to this, but they aren’t the only ones. Adults need to unplug, too. Even if it’s only once a week, volunteering your time for a child is a connection that lasts a lifetime…for you and the child.
  3. The stats are in: we can’t afford to wait any longer.
    By 2018, almost 2/3 of jobs will require at least some college education. Children learn to read up until the 3rd grade. After that, they are reading to learn, taking those skills to help them develop and grow, to become successful adults. Stats show that only 1/3 of children are proficient readers, and another 20% won’t even graduate. These sobering statistics can only change if people are willing to volunteer their time to help children.
  4. You want to better your community and society.
    You know that showing up and participating is how you show the world what you believe and what you want for society. Marjorie Moore, Director of MindsEye (another service which has volunteer readers for those in need), puts it best. “Volunteering is the ultimate exercise in democracy,” she says. “You vote in elections once a year, but when you volunteer, you vote every day about the kind of community you want to live in.”
  5. You want to inspire.
    Let’s face it. You love reading. You want to get kids as excited about reading as you are. Reading is fun. Reading transports us to whole new worlds, gives us a break from our own. It develops our imaginations, and children who read become adults who read. And isn’t that really why we’re here?

So please volunteer. You help yourself, your community, and, most importantly, you can make a difference in the life of a child.

Here’s where you can find our volunteering forms (it only takes a few minutes to start making a difference). Remember….

“To the world you may be one person, but to one person you may be the world.”
~ Anonymous

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