Chris Ehrenfels

Chris has been a dedicated volunteer reading mentor with Read to a Child for over ten years and has read to multiple students in the Read Aloud Mentoring Program.

Chris’ most recent mentee graduated from the program in 2020 – the year the pandemic rocked our world and forced the Read Aloud Mentoring Program to abruptly halt for the rest of the school year. In spring of 2020, hundreds of volunteer reading mentors, including Chis, send their reading buddies videos – providing closure on the school year and encouraging them to read as much as they could during a very uncertain time.

Chris received the most incredible note back from his mentee and her mother – who attested to the incredible gift the program was for her daughter. The note read: “I know her weekly sessions with you are a huge part of why she is such a book lover today. More than the books themselves, I think the time you spent with her was so valuable. It showed her that she was worth someone’s undivided attention and reinforced the idea that she can foster relationships with adults just as well as kids. You can see the bright, outgoing, confident kid she is, and I know the many hours you spent reading to her helped shape her in that way.”