Dearborn Elementary School Looking For Volunteer Readers

DEARBORN, MI — Salina Elementary and the Communities in School program are looking for volunteers – hundreds of them – to read to Salina Elementary students on March 4.

The volunteers are needed from 7:30 to 9:30 a.m. and will be paired with students to read one-on-one with them that morning as part of the Leaders and Literacy Day.

Communities in Schools approached Principal Susan Stanley with the idea for the literacy day, organizers said.

“It’s a great idea because we want to get more and more people to read with kids,” Stanley said. "Any adult can sit and read with a child and help that child improve their skills and develop a love of reading, she said.

Volunteers “can help students make the connection between literacy and the pathway to leadership,” says a recruitment poster from Communities in Schools. CIS was hoping to get as many as 350 volunteer readers for the one-time event. Leaders and Literacy Day also will include a brief training, snacks and refreshments for the volunteers. Each student will walk away with their own copy of “Yasmin the Superhero” by Saadia Faruqi.

Traditionally, elementary schools across the country celebrate March is Reading Month, and many Dearborn elementary schools will invite in guest readers during March, but not at the scale Salina Elementary is organizing.

Communities in Schools works in several Dearborn Public Schools, providing programing and support to help low-income families overcome obstacles that can hinder their child’s success in school.

Besides encouraging reading, Leaders and Literacy Day is also a way to build connections between Salina Elementary and the community, Stanley said.

“This is a perfect opportunity to bring the community into the school,” she said.

Volunteers are encouraged to register at an Eventbrite registration set up for the event. Those with questions can contact CIS Site Cooridinator Amal Qayed at amal@cismichigan.org or (517) 489-4592 for details.