To commemorate “March is Reading Month,” members of United Way of Midland County’s Young Leaders United are teaming up with Big Brothers Big Sisters to read to second grade students at Plymouth Elementary School on Wednesday, March 21 from 11:30am-12:30pm. Over 80 volunteers will be paired with a second grade student to help instill a love of reading and help improve student reading skills. Additionally, Members First Credit Union will be providing lunch and each student will go home with a brand new book courtesy of Young Leaders United.

“We will be volunteering to share Young Leader’s passion for helping the community and transforming one child at a time into a life-long reader,” stated Nick Powell, Young Leaders United Executive Council Chair.

One of United Way of Midland County’s community level goals is ensuring that students read at grade level through high school completion. Recent studies show that up to 46.3% of third grade students are not reading at a proficient level. Reading skills after third grade are crucial because starting with fourth grade, students need to be able to read proficiently in order to learn.

“Reading is a powerful tool and we need to share with future generations how to turn reading into a life-long passion. Most second graders won’t understand the impact of being a good reader, and some kids don’t have this influence at home,” added Powell.

In addition to the March 21 event, United Way is partnering with Northwood University Library Services to distribute over 800 books to every second grade classroom in Midland County. Throughout that week, members of Student United Way and Young Leaders United will volunteer in 11 classrooms at 5 local elementary schools.

For more information about the Young Leaders United “March is Reading Month” event at Plymouth Elementary School on Wednesday, March 21 or additional future projects, call Emily Korn at (989) 631-3670.

Members of the media are welcome to attend and see the impact of this event in action.

Who: United Way of Midland County and Young Leaders United
What: Lunchtime one-on-one Reading Event for local second grader students
Where: Plymouth Elementary School, 1105 E Sugnet Rd, Midland, MI 48642
When: Wednesday, March 21 from 11:30 – 12:30 pm