Executive Director Note – September 2019

“To learn to read is to light a fire; every syllable that is spelled out is a spark.” – Victor Hugo

Fall is, gratefully, around the corner and by now all the school districts in San Antonio and Bexar County are back in session. Although Fall is often described as the season that begins the dormant period for nature, it conversely signals a time of new beginnings for children across our country and the world as they start back to school.  

Since our inception, we here at SAYL have been fortunate to be part of these new beginnings for the past 30+ years. We have been able to do this through the commitment of our community for our program, not only by serving as Reading Buddies, but through generous financial support. We do not have a million-dollar budget, we don’t need one – with nearly $200,000 worth of time given by our volunteers, we are able to provide a quality, data driven program that has quantifiable results for the children we serve.  

Want to be a Reading Buddy? It’s easy. Call us or go to SAYL.ORG and sign up. Through reading with children, you will: help them learn new vocabulary; demonstrate to your child that reading is important and fun; provide them with experience through books that they might not otherwise have in their daily life; and show your student you care just by showing up every week.  In the words of one of our teachers, “I think the chance to work one-on-one with a caring adult is the most important factor to a child’s success. Each of my students improved in confidence, behavior, and reading abilities.”

Here’s to Fall and new beginnings!