Amongst all of the world strife right now, I find peace in the elementary schools, knowing San Antonio Youth Literacy is a strong, flickering light in the midst of it all. The other day I was at Arnold Elementary and the kindergarten class came into the cafeteria to practice for their holiday play while I was completing a site visit. Pure joy! It definitely took me longer to get through that visit! I couldn’t help but think about how blessed we are to have Reading Buddies that dedicate their time so generously to such a critical cause. Our kids …our future!

It’s hard to believe we have already hit the mid-year point. I know the team is relieved to have the toughest part behind them. We are so thrilled that this community has rallied to the call to volunteer and support our program. We started with tutoring over 1,200 students and are on our way to hitting our target for this school year of tutoring 1,481 students with 844 volunteers. Great press through the San Antonio Express-News and KENS5 has also cultivated volunteers who heard about SAYL and stepped up for the cause. The momentum is building. Now the challenge is to continue to strive towards our 3 year managed growth plan goals to meet the needs of this community. Together, we can make it happen!

Wishing everyone a safe and happy holiday season, Maryann Acola