Robin Cobb from Susquehanna County United Way spoke virtually at the Apr 8 Rotary meeting about their programs.
In 2014, they did a needs assessment and came back with a variety of needs especially with kids left behind. There has been an increase in child poverty and an increase in single female parents and grandparent raising grandkids.
The Real Men Read Program was launched in 2017 at Elk Lake only at first. The program went well, the kids loved it and it is still running at Elk Lake and other schools now. They fund this program.
Volunteer readers visit a kindergarten class for 1 hr per month to read to the kids. They get a copy of the book 2 weeks ahead with prompts to get the kids engaged. Kids really enjoy the program. At the end of the program, the mentors and mentor assistants hand out a copy of the book to the students, the kids see the importance of reading and each child will have 5 new books that they have taken home.
Real Men Read, which the Tunkhannock Rotary will be assuming for Elk Lake, has been shown to improve literacy for the students. They want men to do this as role models especially for kids that do not have a male parent, but women are also welcome as readers. Currently, the Program is only focusing on kindergarten.
Robin Cobb