Tampa Girl Scout Supports Students With Dyslexia Through Nonprofit

TAMPA, FL — Mariana Gillen, 17, struggled in school from a young age.

“I was falling behind starting in the first grade, not catching up like most children were,” she told Patch. “Even in kindergarten I had trouble with rhyming and reading, and my timings on reading in the first grade, I was the slowest in there. I would always get caught up (with) the 'p’s and 'q's and the 'b's and the 'd's, which is one of the big early signs of dyslexia.”

Now, the Tampa senior’s biggest passion is assisting other families and students who are struggling with dyslexia.

She was diagnosed with the learning disability in the second grade, which is young for those with dyslexia, she said. But she continued to struggle after this diagnosis as it was a different time and classroom accommodations weren’t readily available, Gillen added.

Wanting to help others, she launched a nonprofit organization, MARI Kits, as part of her Girl Scout Gold Award project.

As a 14-year-old, she started creating toolkits for children with dyslexia in grades kindergarten through third grade. She’s given out hundreds of these kits to students in Hillsborough and Pinellas counties, paying for them with money she made from her part-time jobs at Chick-fil-A and a dance studio.

These kits include everything from noise-canceling headphones to dry erase boards and markers to word tiles to highlighting strips, as well as a copy of the book “The Alphabet War,” a story about dyslexia.

“I used them over the years through my dyslexia and I’m grateful for all of them,” Gillen said. “All these tools really speak to me.”

Through her nonprofit organization, she’s elevated this work by presenting educational sessions at libraries, schools and even doctor’s offices on the early signs of dyslexia. She also hands out pamphlets that she distributes about the learning disability — what it is, what the signs are and why early screening matters.

“At least they’ll have something they are able to look at when it comes to their child, something to keep an eye on,” she said.

As Gillen wraps up her senior year of high school, she plans to dedicate her career to helping those with dyslexia and continue running MARI Kits while in college.

“I’m very passionate about dyslexia and really helping empower children and parents,” she said.