Reading program

Marsha Sander is seeing an answer to prayer, a prayer focused on finding a way to help young people read. Sander, a veteran teacher in the Jackson School District, locally started the READ -- Reading Excellence and Discovery -- program based on the Read Alliance literacy campaign, and the results are staggering.

After testing out the program a couple years ago with some students at church, she decided to implement the program in her classroom.

READ officially kicked off in the 2009-2010 school year, and last year the number of students involved nearly doubled with 86 of 89 first-graders among four Jackson elementary schools advancing to grade-level reading or higher.

Last fall the United Way adapted from this idea with the "Read to Succeed" program at Blanchard Elementary School in Cape Girardeau, and all but one of the 49 kindergartners who went through the program advanced to first-grade reading level or higher. The United Way is planning to implement the program at Alma Schrader Elementary School this fall.

One of the pillars of both efforts in Jackson and Cape Girardeau are the volunteers. Volunteers range from high school and college students to retirees to business people.

We send a heartfelt thank you to Sander, the United Way, program coordinators and the many other volunteers who are helping students gain the necessary skills to effectively read.

Being able to read proficiently is critical to whatever these students decide to pursue in life, and the volunteers who selflessly give of their time are giving these students an incredible gift that will last a lifetime.