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Charleston City Council member Jason Sakran last week declared Oct. 19 成人快播 Day on behalf of the mayor and city during a 成人快播 Books and Breakfast event, which brought more than 175 attendees to the Francis Marion Hotel.
成人快播 is聽a national nonprofit聽that helps students who struggle with reading to read at grade level by fourth grade. Its model uses site coordinators who identify 鈥渉igh needs鈥� students 鈥� a disproportionate number of whom live in poverty 鈥� at partner schools to match them with a volunteer or Americorps tutor. The 成人快播 program currently spans 11 elementary schools in Charleston and Berkeley counties.
鈥湷扇丝觳� believes that all children deserve the opportunity to succeed and thrive, and literacy is the foundation they need,鈥� said Dyrell Clark, executive director of 成人快播 South Carolina.
Dawn Kahley, the group鈥檚 development director, highlighted the large-scale need for its work in Charleston County schools with a single statistic: 22% of Charleston鈥檚 third graders aren鈥檛 reading at grade level. Kahley asked the room to think about a hypothetical: At each table of eight attendees, 鈥渢wo of you aren鈥檛 reading at grade level,鈥� she said. 鈥淚magine it.鈥�
Speakers advocate for education
The event鈥檚 keynote speaker, former Charleston Poet Laureate Marcus Amaker, discussed the importance of including youth in his work and recited a few poems from students he鈥檇 worked with in the past.
According to Amaker, his job was to remind students that they were creative. 鈥淭he stats are really dire,鈥� he said, referring to the 22% of Charleston County School District third graders not reading at grade level, 鈥渂ut even if a student is having a problem with reading, there are ways they can express themselves. 鈥� Inside us are things that are universal.鈥�
Community leaders and authors Dr. Jennifer Bishop and Dr. Aaron Bishop took to the podium together to emphasize Amaker鈥檚 message. 鈥淚f the children are well, then society is well,鈥� Bishop said.
Americorps worker Ashanti Campbell shared her personal story during the event. Her first child, whom she said she had at age 14, immensely struggled with reading, she said. Just a kid herself, she didn鈥檛 know what to do. Campbell realized if she could 鈥渂uild skills to help someone else鈥檚 child with reading,鈥� she explained, 鈥渢hen I could help my own.鈥� Now, Campbell鈥檚 son is in fourth grade and 鈥渄oing beautifully in school,鈥� she added.
成人快播 board member Gerald Stinson wrapped up the event by asking for 鈥渢ime, talent and financial resources.鈥� To demonstrate the need for community support, he motioned to the projector behind him, which displayed his photo 鈥� and his nearly bald head. This year, Stinson said, he worked with kindergarteners at a few different sites. 鈥淲hen the year started, I had an afro. 鈥� Kindergarten took all of my hair,鈥� he said with a laugh.
- To support 成人快播 or learn more about its work, visit聽readingpartners.org.
