Rutgers Readers: A Semester In Review

Fall 2001

 

            Rutgers Readers began in the fall of 2001 with an unsteady groundwork - a small group of Rutgers students, no money, and the few friends that the founders were able to recruit. But, with the official go-ahead from the University, we were optimistic and determined to reach our goal of starting a literacy campaign in downtown New Brunswick. We were building an organization, in the middle of a huge university sprawling four major campuses, with the hope of making a difference in the local community. 

            Our objectives for the fall semester were simple. In addition to forming a partnership with Redshaw Elementary School, we established a support system within the University through the Graduate School of Education, affiliated with Citizenship and Service Education, and the Rutgers University chapter of America Reads.

We recruited and trained 32 volunteers, and maintained 30 active members who remained committed to the children of Redshaw. Because of the dedication of our volunteers, we were able to provide tutors daily to support teachers and assist students both inside the classroom and in the after school program. By the end of the semester, it was clear that both the Redshaw students and teachers enjoyed and benefited from the efforts of the dedicated Rutgers Readers. Expressing the general sentiment of the Redshaw teachers, Vice-Principal Ms. Smith said that our program proved to be a great asset to the school, and she was impressed with our reliability and dedication to the students.

            But, the Rutgers Readers knew that they could not stop there. To help alleviate the school’s lack of resources and funding, we decided to hold a University-wide book drive. We took advantage of the large student body at Rutgers and encouraged students to dig up some of their old books from childhood. With the books, our goal was to create a library to share with the students at Redshaw. The results of the book drive (on the College Ave, Busch, Livingston, and Cook/Douglass campuses) far surpassed our expectations - we were able to collect over 500 books! With this great outcome, the volunteers will not only have a great selection of books from which to choose, but will also be able to give books away to the kids for free, once again promoting literacy and the love for reading.

Encouraged by the positive results from the first semester, Rutgers Readers now hopes to expand membership to 50 active tutors for the spring semester. We will continue to provide in-class reading tutors and will work with Ms. Smith to reshape Redshaw’s after school program to provide more beneficial tutoring with one-on-one attention targeted to children who have been identified by teachers as needing extra help. We also would like to form a partnership with the Rutgers University Libraries to further interweave the Rutgers community with Rutgers Readers’ efforts to promote literacy in the surrounding community.

The kids at Redshaw responded so positively to our program that we are now tempted to find another New Brunswick school for whom we can provide tutors, and hope to get the New Brunswick community involved in providing literacy education for young children by asking local businesses to support Rutgers Readers.

The fall proved to be a great semester for Rutgers Readers, and we are all looking forward to another rewarding and productive spring semester!