Read to a Child receives $40,000 grant from United Way for Southeastern Michigan

For Immediate Release

Grant will enable growth of Metro Detroit regional operations and serve more students in Read to a Child’s Lunchtime Reading Program

 Detroit, MI, December 12, 2018 – Read to a Child announced today that it has received a $40,000 grant from United Way for Southeastern Michigan.  The grant will enable Read to a Child to grow its regional operations and enable more children to participate in its highly regarded Lunchtime Reading Program in Pontiac and Detroit, MI.

In the Lunchtime Reading Program, Read to a Child deploys hundreds of corporate volunteers to Metro Detroit area elementary schools.  Volunteers are paired with a child and, once a week, read aloud to the child during lunch.  The relationship lasts for an entire school year and often extends for multiple years through the end of fourth grade. The simple act of reading aloud to a child once a week, over time, ignites a love of reading in struggling children, while providing students with the skills and self-confidence to succeed in school and in life. The Lunchtime Reading Program also provides adults with a convenient, joyful, and meaningful way to give back to the community.

“Thank you to United Way for Southeastern Michigan for its generous grant of $40,000 to help grow Read to a Child’s regional operations to serve more children in Metro Detroit,” said Paul Lamoureux, CEO of Read to a Child. “We have aligned missions in support of children’s literacy and mentoring and this grant will bring us one step closer to our vision that one day all children will be read to by a caring adult, improving their chance for success in school, work, and life.”

“As a Lunchtime Reading Program volunteer for 6 years, I’ve seen first-hand how one-on-one reading sessions, over time, make a huge impact on a child’s development.  Also, as spending quality time with my reading buddy is the highlight of my week, the program clearly makes an impact on me as well,” said David Walker, Read to a Child Regional Board Chair and EVP Level One Bank.  “We are so thankful to United Way for Southeastern Michigan for their generosity in helping us expand our impact among more students and more volunteers.”

About Read to a Child

Read to a Child (readtoachild.org) is a national literacy and mentoring non-profit that fosters a love of reading, improves literacy skills, and empowers underserved children by inspiring adults to read aloud to them regularly.  Research shows that reading aloud to children is the single most important activity for eventual success in reading, a key factor for success in school, work, and life.  When an adult reads to a child, both parties have a joyful, rewarding experience that instills a love of reading, improves literacy skills, and enhances a child’s self-confidence. Read to a Child’s Lunchtime Reading Program utilizes more than 1,800 volunteer mentors from over 150 socially-minded organizations who read one-on-one to 1,500 at-risk elementary school students in Greater Boston, Metro Detroit, Hartford, Los Angeles and Miami.

Contact: Ky Lindberg, Metro Detroit Regional Director, (313) 451-3048, ky.lindberg@readtoachild.org, 1528 Woodward, Suite 400 Detroit, MI 48226, https://readtoachild.org/detroit/