Walmart gives $60,000 to Read to Succeed, program reports first-semester success
Read to Succeed, a program of Greater Lafayette Commerce, United Way of Greater Lafayette, Lafayette School Corp., Tippecanoe School Corp. and West Lafayette Community Schools launched this fall, is receiving $60,000 from the Walmart Foundation (http://walmartstores.com/communitygiving/203.aspx).
Read to Succeed’s purpose is to improve young students’ reading skills, coordinate classroom volunteers, and increase parent, business and organization involvement in education,
Larry Whitlow, Walmart market manager for the Lafayette area, presented a giant check to Lafayette Mayor Tony Roswarski at a news conference on Wednesday, December 13, at Glen Acres Elementary School, one of the Read to Succeed sites.
he contribution allows Read to Succeed to recruit more volunteers and by next fall to double the number of schools served.
“This is a wonderful program for Lafayette and all of Tippecanoe County,” said Lafayette Mayor Tony Roswarski, who accepted the check on behalf of Read to Succeed.
“Read to Succeed is unique – and so typical of our community – because it is a collaboration of volunteers, businesses and education. It places volunteers in schools specifically to improve literacy. This is a great opportunity for our children, and at the same time it indicates how we all pull together to improve our economy and neighborhoods,” said Roswarski, who worked with local Walmart management to secure the funding.
“We are grateful to Walmart and the Walmart Foundation for recognizing a true community need and supporting it with this generous grant,” Roswarski said.
The $60,000 grant was the result of an appeal from the United Way to Walmart’s State Giving program. The State Giving Program asks not-for-profit organizations in communities such as Lafayette to submit requests which are then reviewed by local area Walmart associates.
“There’s an old saying – Think globally but act locally. That’s Walmart’s philosophy in helping the communities in which we do business and our associates live,” said Larry Whitlow, Walmart market manager for the Lafayette area. “A few years ago, the Walmart Foundation recognized it must find out what local communities need to thrive and improve the lives of their friends and neighbors.”
To do that, he said, the Foundation created the State Giving Program. The State Giving Program asks not-for-profit organizations in communities such as Lafayette and Tippecanoe County to submit requests which are then reviewed by local Walmart associates.
Read to Succeed currently provides volunteers at five local elementary schools: Miller and Glen Acres elementary schools in the Lafayette School Corp.; Burnett Creek and Mayflower Mill elementary schools in Tippecanoe School Corp.; and Cumberland Elementary in West Lafayette Community School Corp.
Gary Henriott, chair of the Read to Succeed: Community Commitment to Education Leadership Team, Greater Lafayette Commerce, reported that 250 volunteers are participating in the program’s first semester. They are reaching about 1,500 students in 75 different classrooms.
“It’s a beginning. A great beginning,” Henriott said. “And the feedback we’re receiving from teachers is positive and heartwarming.”
“The value of this extra help—in reading and as homework helpers—makes a huge difference in the lives of our students,” said Debbie Patterson, Glen Acres principal. “They receive individual attention, academic assistance and another adult who believes in their ability. Everyone needs and deserves that. As their self-confidence and self-esteem grow, so do their abilities.”
David Soliz, a 4th grader at Glen Acres Elementary and a student who appreciates the Read to Succeed program, also spoke at the news conference. “I go to Homework Club, and volunteers help me when I’m stuck,” he said.
“I like the volunteers to help me. Sometimes when they give an example, they make it fun. They also help me understand words I don’t know, so then that helps me with other work and tests in my class,” he said. Homework Club meets at Glen Acres from 1:45 to 3:45 p.m. Monday through Thursday.
With the Walmart funding, which supports three years of planned expansion, the program will add five more elementary schools by fall 2012 and the remaining seven in fall 2013, said James Taylor, executive director of United Way of Greater Lafayette. At a minimum, the program wants to place one volunteer in each kindergarten, first and second grade classroom in the local public schools.
“I’ve heard wonderful stories of trying, persistence and growth,” Taylor says of the program. “And that is exactly what this is all about: our youth and their success.”
Volunteers can sign up and select volunteer preferences online at: www.readtosucceedgreaterlafayette.org. Commitments will be one hour weekly, typically the same time and day of the week each session. Volunteers may sign up for more than one session. Training will be provided, and classroom teachers will guide volunteers in literacy activities.
Businesses and organizations asked to sign on as partners with the Read to Succeed program will have numerous options for providing support.
Among the ways businesses can support the Read to Succeed program are providing volunteers in schools, adopting education-friendly business policies, contributing financially to the program and finding ways to help youth through local groups.
In Indiana, Walmart operates 125 facilities employing 37,649 associates. In 2010, Walmart stores, Sam's Club locations and the Walmart Foundation gave more than $25.6 million in cash and in-kind donations to local organizations in the communities they serve in Indiana. Through additional funds donated by customers, and Walmart and Sam’s Club associates throughout the state, the retailer’s contributions in Indiana totaled more than $28.2 million.
Walmart collected on behalf of the state of Indiana more than $336.3 million in sales taxes in FYE 2011. Walmart paid more than $66.4 million in state and local taxes in the state of Indiana in FYE 2011.
In FYE 2011, Walmart spent $1,759,470,960.00 for merchandise and services with 1,209 suppliers in the state of Indiana. As a result of Walmart's relationship with these suppliers, Walmart supports 73,271 supplier jobs in the state of Indiana.
Read to Succeed reaches about 1,500 students
In its first semester, Read to Succeed has 250 volunteers reaching about 1,500 students at five elementary schools.
A summary:
Lafayette School Corp. Volunteers Teachers/Classrooms Students
Miller Elementary 60
Glen Acres Elementary 91
Total,LSC 151 23 460
Tippecanoe School Corp.
Burnett Creek Elementary 56
Mayflower Mill Elementary 13
Total, TSC 69 27 540
West Lafayette Community Schools
Cumberland Elementary 30
Total, WLCSC 30 25 500
Total, all schools 250 75 1,500
Get involved
To learn more about being a classroom volunteer or a business partner, or sign up for either, go to www.readtosucceedgreaterlafayette.org.
About the Walmart Foundation
Walmart and the Walmart Foundation are proud to support the charitable causes that are important to customers and associates in their own neighborhoods. The Walmart Foundation funds initiatives focused on education, workforce development, economic opportunity, environmental sustainability, and health and wellness. From Feb. 1, 2009 through Jan. 31, 2010, Walmart and the Walmart Foundation gave more than $467 million in cash and in-kind gifts, including donating 127 million pounds of nutritious food to U.S. food banks. Internationally, Walmart gave $45 million in cash and in-kind gifts to charitable organizations. To learn more, visit www.walmartfoundation.org.
About United Way of Greater Lafayette
The United Way of Greater Lafayette was founded in 1923. It improves the community by focusing on education, income and health. It brings people, organizations and resources together to deliver results.
