Readers 2 Leaders

This month's volunteer spotlight is Barb! Barb has been a Reading Buddy with us for a few years in our After-School program and has built strong relationships with both staff and students. She not only does a wonderful job reading with the students, but she also takes time before sessions to talk and get to know them during homework time. She also went the extra mile and helped out at Halloween Storytime this year!

"After I retired and relocated to Dallas (from NJ), I was looking to get involved in the community through volunteerism and work with children. Readers 2 Leaders provided that opportunity as well as combining my love of reading. This experience over the past two years has been extremely rewarding getting to know the children and seeing the joy as we read together. Many have their favorite books and authors and will say "Miss Barb, can we read ___?" I look forward to Tuesdays and Thursdays since I know being a Reading Buddy is going to put a smile not only on my face but the children as well."

Thank you, Barb, for being a buddy to so many of our students!

As part of our Family Reading Cohort course, we've made some easy-to-use lessons for parents to teach and practice reading at home with their kids. Participants who complete the course also get their very own reading materials kit! Here are some of our parents from our Family Reading Cohort class learning and practicing how to use some of the take home lessons!

We have an exciting Saturday Storytime event coming up on December 9th! We can't wait to connect with our West Dallas community families and have a great time with games, prizes, and a fantastic storytime.

Also, with the holiday shopping season upon us, we request your help making our Kid Raffle Prize Wishlist come true this Giving Tuesday! Giving something extra to the children who attend our Saturday Storytime would be amazing. Please take a moment to browse our carefully curated wishlist and select the perfect gift for a prize at this link: tinyurl.com/StorytimeRaffle

Thank you for your support!

Our next Saturday Storytime is right around the corner! Join us on Saturday, December 9th from 10am-12pm for family-friendly games, prizes, and a fantastic storytime. We're excited to have two special guests this time: local author Latoya Thomas and Santa!

Register for the event at this link:
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/holiday-storytime-tiempo-de-cuento-festivo-tickets-761421270517?aff=oddtdtcreator

We'll see you then ❄️☃️🎄

Happy Future Teachers of America Day to our Literacy Fellows! Jack and Desiree are Dallas College students working in our After-School program this year to receive training and experience that will support them in their goals to become the best teachers they can be! We're excited for all their growth this year and for what their future holds!

We had two groups of volunteers from Texas Capital Bank this month! Some of them brought a wonderful energy into our activities room and others brought stories to life as Reading Buddies. Our After-School students always love making new friends. Thank you Texas Capital Bank for your support of our mission and students!

This month we are spotlighting Nisha! Nisha joined us last spring and has consistently volunteered through our After-School and Summer Camp programs. Her dedication and passion for education have made a real difference in the lives of our students.

"The best thing about volunteering with y'all is getting to read books that I read as a kid and share that moment with the kids."

Thank you for sharing your love of reading with our students, Nisha!

Meet Beth! Beth was recently promoted from Instructor to Curriculum Implementation Specialist. With decades of experience as a teacher and school administrator, Beth is now using her expertise to support our partner school teachers in reading intervention. She is amazing with kids and adults alike and we're lucky to have her on our team!

In celebration of National Parents as Teachers Day we are highlighting the wonderful parents of our Family Reading Cohort! Our current cohort just celebrated completing part 1 of the course today! Our classes empower parents and caretakers with the tools they need to support their young readers at home. These parents diligently learn the rules of reading in English with Program Specialist Andrea Livingston twice a week. We are inspired by their dedication and growth to love and support their children!

November is Native American Heritage Month! It's a time to celebrate and honor the rich history, culture, and contributions of Native American communities. In the spirit of diversity and inclusivity, let's also recognize the importance of diversity in books. Representation matters, and giving students access to diverse books can have a profound impact on students' learning experiences. National nonprofit First Book conducted a groundbreaking study on the impact of a diverse classroom library. Did you know they found that increasing access to diverse books not only increases the amount of time children spend reading but also positively impacts their reading scores? As we previously shared, Readers 2 Leaders benefited from the collaborative literacy effort of First Book and the KPMG's Family for Literacy. KPMG gifted us a $25,000 voucher, and we purchased new inclusive books and distributed them to our partner campuses. If you're interested in learning more, check out the study here: tinyurl.com/firstbookstudy

Let's celebrate Native American Heritage Month and continue to advocate for diverse and inclusive literature for all students.

This past weekend, the dedicated members of the Readers 2 Leaders board came together to foster connections, ignite inspiration, and discuss important plans to propel our organization forward! A highlight of this gathering was the opportunity to hear from a passionate fundraising leader, Armando Zumaya, the founder of Somos el Poder. It was a galvanizing retreat and we're excited to continue making an impact in our community with our board members.

Mark your calendars! On November 11th at 11:00am, join us for a screening of the eye-opening documentary, The Right to Read, at the Texas Theatre. Following the screening, join us for a panel discussion featuring local literacy experts, including our very own Director of Tutoring and Equity Initiatives, Monika Robinson. We hope to see you there!

We hosted our very first Board Alumni lunch yesterday! Past and current board members and founders Ted and Stephanie Schweinfurth came together to reconnect. The event featured a panel session with four staff members explaining how Readers 2 Leaders implements the science of reading in our programs. We shared a few resources about the science of reading with our guests, including the Sold a Story podcast. It was a great opportunity to showcase our work and connect with our dedicated past board members, who continue to support our mission of ensuring students can thrive as readers and leaders.

Readers 2 Leaders has been named a finalist for the 2023 A Night of Light Nonprofit Awards of Excellence event hosted by CCNM The event celebrates organizations that have made a positive difference in communities throughout the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex and is open to everyone who wants to join the celebration. We are thrilled to have been nominated for Fundraising Success and Nonprofit of the Year, and we look forward to celebrating with other DFW nonprofits next week!

More information about the event and how to RSVP can be found at this link: https://thecnm.org/a-night-of-light-2023/

And last but not least, our 2023 Nonprofit of the Year nominees are: Dallas 24 Hour Club, Inc., Readers 2 Leaders, and The WARM Place. Congratulations again to all of our nominees -- we will see you all at A Night of Light on November 9!

You can help brighten up a library! The librarian at Maria Moreno STEAM Academy, one of our partner Dallas ISD schools, created a DonorsChoose project asking for donations in order to purchase lamps and light bulbs to transform Moreno's library into a bright, inviting space for their students. Donate to support our Dallas students and your donation will be matched!

Ms. Rodriguez shares "In our library, students often find themselves straining to read and study comfortably due to the lack of adequate lighting. This hampers their ability to concentrate, fully engage with their studies, and enjoy the world of books. To address this issue, we are seeking the support of generous donors to bring extra lighting into our library."

Donate at this link or the link in our bio!
tinyurl.com/illuminatinglearning

We are spotlighting Tani this month! Tani just joined us as a Reading Buddy this summer and enthusiastically agreed to be an R2L ambassador during our Giving Day campaign! Tani is a children's book author who has written two lovely books, "The Princess of Sapphires and Sand " and "T Sees an Island".

"The pages of a book offer one of the most satisfying methods of exercising your imagination that was ever created. I have loved reading since childhood and understand the importance of comprehending what you read. This is one reason why I volunteered this summer as a Reading Buddy. One of my favorite moments of being a Reading Buddy at Readers to Leaders was watching the children meticulously select a book for reading from the collection that you had gathered ahead of time. They knew that story time was precious and were ready for a good adventure."

Thank you Tani for the time you served as a Reading Buddy and your wonderful support of our work and mission.



So proud of President and CEO Norma Nelson for being a part of a panel at a Hispanic Heritage Month celebration earlier this month hosted by Enlace, an employee group of Jacobs!

Meet Jamie! Jamie has been an instructor with us for over 2 years and her passion to support students is seen in her positivity, care, and teaching. She is always bringing a bright spirit to her interactions with staff, students, and volunteers. We're lucky to have such a dedicated instructor at Readers 2 Leaders!

We loved having Pi Beta Phi alumni and students with us yesterday as Reading Buddies in our Booktown After-School program! The kids were also so happy to take books home that Pi Beta Phi generously donated and brought with them 📚 We're grateful for our continued partnership with Pi Beta Phi who schedule a visit with us every fall for the past few years.



Looking for a great after-school program for your children? Look no further! Booktown After-School still has a few spots open. Enroll your child today and they'll receive high-quality reading instruction as part of the program. Don't miss out on this opportunity to support your child in their reading journey!

Passionate about the state of reading in America? Join Strong Readers at the Texas Theatre on November 11th at 11AM to watch eye-opening documentary, The Right to Read. The screening will then be followed by a panel discussion of local literacy experts.

Register at this link: https://tinyurl.com/strongreadersevent

We are excited to welcome our new Dallas College Literacy Fellows to the Readers 2 Leaders team! As part of our partnership with Dallas College, we have work study students join our After-School program as reading instructors. Literacy Fellows will be provided with professional development, mentor teachers, and weekly check-ins that seamlessly merge their education into real-world practice. We look forward to a wonderful year full of experiences with Jack and Desiree!

West Dallas community members! Join Builders of Hope CDC and CoSpero Consulting for an interactive listening session to share your stories about rising housing cost and community changes to inform the Dallas Anti-Displacement Toolkit.

The session will take place on Wednesday, October 18th from 6:00-7:30 p.m. at the Nash Davis Recreation Center. Register by following instructions on the flyer.

We had two wonderful volunteer groups in Booktown After-School this week as part of their community service for Hispanic Heritage Month! Mr. Cooper HOLA returned for a third visit and helped facilitate a lively game of Loteria with the kids. And we also had Reyes Browne Law return for a second visit and joined in on the fun in activities. We're so happy they chose us as their place to serve and are grateful for their partnership!



We are honored to be a finalist for Center for Nonprofit Management (CNM)'s 2023 A Night of Light Nonprofit Awards of Excellence event. CNM shares, "A Night of Light honors the organizations who have demonstrated real, positive change in the communities all across the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex." We are proud that Readers 2 Leaders has been nominated for Fundraising Success and Nonprofit of the Year! We're excited to celebrate with other DFW nonprofits in November!

Arby's Foundation presented a check to Norma, President and CEO, and Cassandra, Director of Strategic Partnerships. Last year, 1,689 students received literacy support services through our Readers 2 Leaders initiatives.

We’ve supported students in our community over the past 12 years. Grants like these make our mission possible!

Get ready for a Spooktacular event here in West Dallas! Our Halloween Saturday Storytime is just around the corner and will be held at our main location on Saturday, October 21st from 10am-12pm. We're excited to have community members join us for family-fun, free food, and prizes!

Register at this link: https://tinyurl.com/R2LStorytime1023

Thank you to the wonderful volunteers from Bank of America who joined in our After-School program yesterday! They were in our activities room helping students make their own mini pinatas with colorful streamers. It's always a joy to see volunteer groups light up the room with their positive and enthusiastic energy to get to know and support our students!




Earlier this month, several members of our Readers 2 Leaders staff attended a community discussion hosted by the SMU Budd Center.

Participants discussed a new directory of resources for West Dallas created by the Budd Center and is available on Dallas Free Press' website. With our instructors working directly with students and families from the West Dallas community, they offered notes and feedback on how the resource guide can best serve the community.

It was great to be a part of this important community conversation with other community partners! 


Thanks to your incredible generosity, we hit our goal of $90,000!! We still have 2.5 hours to reach our new stretch goal of $100,000!

There's still time to share the power of reading so that all students can thrive as readers and leaders. Donate at the link below!

https://www.northtexasgivingday.org/organization/readers-2-leaders

We had some friends from Samsung today join us in our After-School program for their Day of Service! They brought such great energy and the kids loved having them in their activity session. We're grateful Samsung Business USA chose Readers 2 Leaders as a place to serve today and for their support to our organization and mission.

We've been blown away by all our supporters! So many of our staff and board members have shared their passion for our mission by creating fundraising pages for our campaign this year. We're so grateful for their friends and family who have joined us as we equip students for success through the power of reading!

There's still time to help us reach our goal of $90,000! We’re getting close with a current total of $76,733! Donate at the link in our bio and our stories.

update: Thank you for your passion and generosity! With several generous donations this morning, we have now raised $61,620!!

Celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month with Readers 2 Leaders by donating to our NTx Giving Day page! We are proud to be a Latina-led organization with President and CEO Norma Nelson as our fearless leader.



Today is the big day! Will you help us reach our goal of $90,000?

With our generous anonymous donor matching donations we are currently at a total of $54,200!

Help us further our mission of equipping students for success through the power of reading. We can't do it without your support, and we truly believe that with your help, we can reach new heights in transforming young lives. Donate today at the link below!

https://www.northtexasgivingday.org/organization/readers-2-leaders

Get ready to be a part of something big! 🤩✨

Did you know NTx Giving Day is the largest community-wide giving event in the nation??
Your support helps us provide essential reading services to students in Dallas and beyond. Your impact matters! Every contribution, big or small, brings us closer to our goal of $90,000. We have already raised $39,750.

Be on the lookout for matching opportunities where your donation can be doubled!

Your generosity resonates beyond dollars – it speaks volumes about your commitment to educational equity, literacy, and our community. Donate at the link in our bio! 📚

Since Early Giving for Day began, you, our Readers 2 Leaders family, have been wonderfully busy! Thanks to your donations, we met our Early Giving $10,000 match! We still have a few days left before the big day. Let’s keep going! A generous anonymous donor will match your gift up to $10,000. Donate today and double your contribution to Readers 2 Leaders! Donate at the link below:

www.northtexasgivingday.org/organization/readers-2-leaders