A few days ago, we celebrated the life of Martin Luther King, Jr. on the occasion of his birthday, so it is only fitting that we reflect on his thoughts on how we can and should be serving our community towards the common good of all.  The Covid-19 pandemic, that we are still negotiating our way through, severely impacted nearly every nonprofit organization that relies on volunteers to provide the various, much needed services that our already strained social system either supplies in an abbreviated way or not at all due to the extreme cost needed to do so. 

In the early days, weeks, and months of the pandemic, people were justifiably terrified by the unknown nature of the virus.  Much controversy surrounded the issue of how best to prevent the spread of the disease but most agreed that limiting contact was needed.   Fast forward, and now more is known about the nature of the beast and medical protocols have been discovered to “manage” most of the horrible outcomes.  Unfortunately, though, as a society, we have become increasingly isolated as individuals.  In our community, a once vibrant volunteer core has been decimated. 

We must find a way to reconnect to those souls in the community that have hearts full of grace and understand the need for a greater good through service.  At San Antonio Youth Literacy, we have never underestimated the capacity of our great volunteers to change the futures of children across the community.  By being another caring adult in our students’ lives, Reading Buddies provide the support to help our students realize their greatest potential and gain self-worth. 

We currently reach over 4,000 individuals through this newsletter.  We need each and every one of you to realize greatness through service.  If you were a Reading Buddy rejoin us and reach out to someone you know to become a Reading Buddy as well.  Let’s all imagine the possibilities for our future!