èßäAV

For Immediate Release

Contact:

Margie Thirlby
Senior Executive Director, èßäAV Colorado
206.992.5512  | margie.thirlby@readingpartners.org

READING PARTNERS VOLUNTEERS STRENGTHEN DENVER IN MANY DIFFERENT WAYS — HERE ARE THE TOP 5

Deputy Superintendent Susana Cordova to deliver keynote address at èßäAV Colorado’s third annual Read to Succeed breakfast on April 18

Denver, CO — April 16, 2018

èßäAV is a national nonprofit that collaborates with community volunteers and local public schools in Colorado and in 13 other regions across the country to equip students with the foundational skills they need to be able to read at grade level by fourth grade. In an effort to strengthen the literacy skills of as many students as possible, èßäAV Colorado recruits local volunteers to commit just an hour a week to work individually with young students who struggle with reading.

For over four decades, National Volunteer Week has given nonprofits an opportunity to recognize the invaluable support of volunteers that help fuel their work. In celebration of National Volunteer Week in 2018 (April 15-21), èßäAV Colorado created a list highlighting the top five ways its volunteers make the community stronger and better.

Top 5 Reasons èßäAV Volunteers Make Denver a Better Place

1. Volunteers drive student impact – Volunteers are working one-on-one with 580 students this year in Denver Public Schools to help deliver meaningful results for kids (last year, 90% of èßäAV Colorado’s Kindergarten through second-grade students mastered key foundational reading skills needed to read at grade level).

2. By promoting educational equity, volunteers strengthen the broader community – Everyone benefits in the long run when student literacy achievement is bolstered. Students who don’t read proficiently by fourth grade are four times more likely to drop out of school. It’s estimated that every student who walks out of the classroom without a diploma costs our society $260,000 in lost earnings, taxes, and productivity.

3. Volunteers serve as a resource multiplier – Because èßäAV engages so many community volunteers in their work, the program is more affordable for schools to implement than other literacy interventions. For every dollar invested in reading partners, the program delivers more than $2 in resources to students.

4. Volunteers support strong public schools – Thanks to the involvement of over 800 community tutors in Denver, 99% of teachers report èßäAV is valuable to their school and 100% of principals report improved school-wide reading progress.

5. Volunteers help bring joy to learning – Students feed off of the energy and excitement of èßäAV’ volunteer tutors. In the Colorado region, 95% of volunteers are satisfied with their tutoring experience and that enthusiasm helps students develop a lifelong love of reading that is key to success in school and beyond.

Read to Succeed Breakfast on Wednesday, April 18

°¿²ÔÌýApril 18, around 250 èßäAV volunteer tutors and supporters will gather to celebrate the  at the Westin Downtown Denver at 7:30 am.Attendees will hear from keynote speaker, DPS Deputy Superintendent Susana Cordova as well as emcee Tom Mustin, and Dora Moore ECE-8 School Principal, Karen Barker. The program also includes three DPS students enrolled at èßäAV, a fourth-year èßäAV tutor, and the presentation of èßäAV Colorado’s first-ever Teacher of the Year award.

To learn more about the Read to Succeed Breakfast, visit our  or reach out to amber.meade@readingpartners.org. To become a volunteer with èßäAV, please visit Ìý³Ù´Ç»å²¹²â.

èßäAV volunteers work one-on-one with students. (Photo credit: èßäAV)

About èßäAV

èßäAV empowers students to succeed in reading and in life by engaging community volunteers to provide one-on-one tutoring. Since its founding, the national nonprofit organization has provided , individualized literacy tutoring to nearly 45,000 elementary school students in under-resourced schools across ten states and the District of Columbia. Visit to learn more about our , or connect with us on ,Ìý,, and .