For countless parents, grandparents and others in children’s lives, reading to them is one of the purest joys of raising a child.
Not all children are fortunate enough to get that adult attention, however, or know the love of reading.
In some Quad Cities schools, reading proficiency is alarmingly low. Even before the COVID-19 pandemic set education back, youth reading scores concerned education leaders.
When kids are not reading proficiently by third grade, they are less likely to graduate from high school ready for a college career or living wage jobs. Reading is truly the key to their success.
So United Way Quad Cities jumped in to help, creating Read United as an opportunity for regular people to step up to help children by simply reading with them for half an hour, once a week.
Now, kids are getting back on track in school, and volunteers say they are reaping benefits too.
As we begin recruiting volunteers for the remainder of the school year, we want to share with you stories of four Quad Cities volunteers: why they take the time to Read United and what it has meant to them.
Suzanne Wiese
Suzanne Wiese’s job as an administrative assistant at St. Ambrose University in Davenport puts her close to Madison Elementary School.
When she saw an email about Read United, she knew she would get onboard.
“I know that reading is key to life success,” Wiese said. “Just giving a half hour to a little one who doesn’t have anyone to read at home … it builds their imagination and thinking skills.
“Being one-on-one with them, even for a short time, gives them attention they need, and they’re definitely paying attention.”
Her own kids are grown, so Wiese’s volunteer time with Read United fills a gap for her too. She couldn’t help but go an extra step last Christmas.
Just before the holiday, she stuffed a stocking with books, crayons, coloring books and candy canes to give to the kindergartner she had been reading to. The little girl instantly lit up and had a plan for the candy: She would pass it out to her classmates.
But there was a problem. Wiese hadn’t stuffed the stocking with quite enough candy canes. Though it was snowing and she needed to get back to campus, she dashed into a store and picked up another couple dozen. She then raced back to Madison.
“For the student, giving out candy in class was her dream,” Wiese said. “I don’t think she’d ever been able to do it before.
“When I walked in with the candy, her face just lit up. She wrapped her arms around my legs.” A year later, Wiese cherishes the memory.
“It totally defined my Christmas last year,” she said. “It’s such a small investment, Read United. But it’s more than an opportunity to read to a child or to have a child read to you for 30 minutes.
“It’s an opportunity to make a difference in someone’s life.”
Rick Gosney
Rick Gosney is a commercial banking manager for CBI Bank & Trust, located downtown Davenport.
He also chose to read to a Madison Elementary student, because it’s so easy to dash over from work.
A longtime Big Brother in Muscatine, Gosney’s job brought him to the Quad Cities two years ago. He knew from the Big Brothers Big Sisters experience that volunteering to help children can be profoundly satisfying.
“My student at Madison last year was such a charming little boy,” Gosney said. “He was a third grader whose parents were new to this country.
“He was very quiet and shy. He wasn’t a terrible reader, but he was very slow. What was really rewarding was seeing his progress.”
In addition to the academic progress, Gosney’s Read United student showed other signs of improvement.
“Part of the satisfaction was getting him to open up a little bit,” he said. “He warmed up a lot over the semester. I also have a number of friends who are teachers, so it gives you a healthy respect for what they do every day.
“It was a 30-minute session I looked forward to every week. I would recommend it to anybody.”
In just 30 minutes a week, you can change a child's future.
Help meet the needs of today so kids can unlock a brigther tomorrow.
In just 30 minutes a week, you can change a child's future.
Help meet the needs of today so kids can unlock a brighter tomorrow.
Angelique Kimble
Angelique Kimble’s parents didn’t read to her as a kid, and she didn’t read to her children.
An academic advisor at Eastern Iowa Community Colleges, EICC, Kimble said she had so much reading to do while earning a master’s degree as a young mother, she didn’t have the strength for bedtime stories.
Now a grandmother, Kimble read about United Way QC’s Read United program in an email and chose to sign up for a half hour a week at Madison Elementary where her grandson is enrolled.
“I like the initiatives of United Way … they understand some kids can overcome a lack of support and others cannot,” she said. “I was never a big reader, sadly, and now I’ve joined a couple of book clubs.
“This is just one way I could help kids.”
During the spring semester, her weekly half-hour reading sessions at Madison gave her something to look forward to every Thursday.
“It was kind of a treat,” she said. “People are tired. I think COVID has taken a lot out of us. When you give, it helps replenish yourself.”
Robert Doliber
Robert Doliber helps people every day as a major with the Salvation Army. But something was missing.
“Our 16th grandchild was born last month, but they all live away,” Doliber said. “As a Salvation Army family, we’ve moved a lot.”
When he saw that United Way QC was looking for volunteers to read to students, he saw opportunity from a couple of angles.
“I believe in the goal of literacy for children. If they get behind in reading, it can follow them through school and beyond,” he said. “I don’t get to read to my grandchildren, so I get as much out of Read United as the students do.”
He gave his half hour a week to students in the YMCA child care center in the spring of 2022 and went back this year to read to students at Madison Elementary in Davenport.
“Madison is only about two blocks from our office. If you’re not retired and working like me, it’s helpful to have that convenient location,” he said. “I look forward to it every week. I look at it as sitting down and reading to my grandchildren.”
Doliber also recommends Read United to anyone considering a volunteer opportunity that takes little time but can have a big impact.
“I’ve shared my experience with people, because it was a highlight of the week for me at times,” he said. “We help people every day at Salvation Army, but this is a one-on-one opportunity. I can make a difference in a different way. It’s a great program that doesn’t take a lot of time, and it’s fun!”
Your chance to make an impact.
Here at United Way, we know that our youngest have the biggest potential. We also know that if a student is not reading on grade level by third grade, they are 5x less likely to graduate from high school on time and on track to succeed. You can help change that.
To change a life this semester, sign up to help a child read through our Read United program.
