Donor boosts Westside Center reading program

       The original summer schedule for the Westside Community Center offered a five-week Reading Mentor Program.
       Intended to help children ages 6-12 with reading issues, the listed cost was $30.
       Now, thanks to an anonymous donor, the first 24 signups can take the program for zero dollars.
       “He said he had trouble reading when he was a kid and would like to help people that age with their learning skills,” explained center director Dick Siever.
       Those especially in need are children around the third-grade level. The way schools operate, after third grade, it's no longer a case of learning to read, but “reading to learn,” Siever pointed out.
       Each student in the program will get five individual one-hour reading sessions in a one-on-one setting with a mentor between June 22 and July 29.
       The center plans to continue the program in the fall, Siever said.
       For more information, call 385-7920.

Westside Pioneer article