One of Verna Leonard’s favorite things about Reading Seed is the sheer volume of books available. “When you walk into the Reading Seed office there is a library full of books on your left and - on the right - there is another library full of books!” she said. “You are immediately surrounded with literacy.”
Ms. Leonard loves children and has volunteered all over the city of Tucson. Most recently she has served as a reading coach for Reading Seed.
Reading Seed’s primary mission is to help all children in Pima County read at or above grade level by the end of third grade. The libraries of Reading Seed are available to Reading Seed coaches, other literacy providers, school librarians and teachers. There are two libraries—one is a lending library and one is donated books that children can keep. Both have books for children kindergarten through twelfth grade.
As a volunteer, Ms. Leonard works with her students once a week on improving their reading. The students are chosen by their teacher, are approved by parental permission and are given a coach to work with throughout the school year. Students’ progress is monitored weekly to ensure the students are succeeding. Some of the children come from families where English is not the first language in the house. Most students are “at risk” readers who show signs that they are behind in reading for their grade level.
The volunteers of Reading Seed, like Verna, have goals for their students to meet, and through one-on-one attention, the students improve their reading throughout the year. Volunteers attend one three-hour training where fingerprints are done at the same time. Reading Seed supplies materials for the coaches and prizes for coaches to award their students’ achievements in reading.
To be a Reading Seed volunteer, all it takes is one hour per week to make a difference in students’ lives and support literacy in Tucson. For more information, visit www.readingseed.org
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