Header: May 12, 2006
Read To Me Launch Coordinated By Founder Dawn Marie Yankeelov of ASPectx
Summer Program Pairs Young Readers in Day Camp under Metro Parks and Beta Club Students at Area Schools
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Summer Program Pairs Young Readers in Day Camp under Metro Parks and Beta Club Students at Area Schools
(Louisville, KY)May 11, 2006A new summer pilot program has been created by ASPectx Founder Dawn Marie Yankeelov, her daughter, Melissa, and her cousin, Caitlin, to assist young readers (6 to 10 years old) and teens in area Beta Clubs in pairing up for self-esteem, communications, a sense of achievement, and skills-building.
Read to Me participants will meet up at pre-selected Louisville Metro Parks Dept.s Summer Camp sites twice a week. Each teen will be assigned a minimum of 2 children at each camp, one for each 30-minute period to have the young reader read aloud. The mentoring from the teens will assist in the readers developing their skills, and having a partner for encouragement during the summer months, said Yankeelov. Our intention is to rollout this program to all interested Beta Clubs for year-round participation upon completion of the pilot program.
Approximately 40 to 80 teens from area Beta Clubs are anticipated to participate with recruits coming initially from Kammerer Middle School and Ballard High School.
Beta Club teachers are constantly looking for service projects to recommend, and coordinate. The program called Read to Me will have its own website by summers end 2006, developed by and for students, at www.readtome.tv.
This project grew out of Ms. Yankeelovs current participation in the Landmark Educations Self-Expression and Leadership Program www.landmarkeducation.com
Program Premise:
Currently the school year end is approaching and many young children will be sent into environments where they are just not reading, since it is not a scheduled activity. While books may be available at summer camp, and, at times, they are read to as a small group, they may not be reading aloud themselves and building on their skills. Meanwhile, middle and high school students long for some way to make a difference. Those that are not yet old enough to work, may simply find themselves watching a lot of TV, talking on the phone with friends, surfing the Web, and generally bored.
As the summer progresses, young readers may actually slide back in their skills-building, and need the first few weeks of school to become accustomed again to learning to read basics. Many teens in the months of July and August begin to feel underfoot at home, and not appreciated. The prospect of summer could be very different if they are paired in the Read To Me program. A sense of accomplishment and pride can occur for both groups.
For more information on participation, contact Dawn Marie Yankeelov at 502-292-2351 or dawny@aspectx.com or Greg Davis, Coordinator of Summer Camp Programs for Louisville (KY) Metro Parks at 502-574-2795 or Greg.davis@louisvilleky.gov. All Beta Club student volunteers in the area are encouraged to sign up.
For More Information:
Dawn Marie Yankeelov
ASPectx
(502) 292-2351