CIELO Fund fuels organization's efforts to boost literacy in Coachella Valley schools

Celebrated media icon Orpah Winfrey once mused: "What I know for sure is that reading opens you up. It exposes you and gives you access to anything your mind can hold … it gives you the ability to reach higher ground. And keep climbing."

Sean Webb is in sync with that idea. The executive director of Read With Me Volunteer Programs vividly recalls the impact of attending Scholastic book fairs when he was a kid.

"My mom would give me $15 to $20 to go buy some books at the fair," Webb says. "Unfortunately, the schools that Read With Me goes to don't have that opportunity. Our organization literally comes in and sets up the whole library, puts books on all the shelves and we tell the kids, 'Hey come on through.'"

It's just one of many unique aspects of Read With Me Volunteer Programs, an ambitious organization whose mission is to bring volunteers to schools with disadvantaged students. One of its main goals is to help children develop their ultimate potential. To that end, it provides English-speaking role models and mentors for children who require individual assistance on their journey to becoming fluent — both reading and speaking — in English.

"I was a teacher at a Mecca school, and I could see at the time that the graduation rate was 56%," Webb says. "Now they're more than 86% within the school district. I just see that it works. The proof is there."

Read With Me runs a data analysis annually to gauge impact.

"The data show that if a volunteer works with a student, that student's literacy and reading scores are going to go up at least 66% higher than if the student doesn't work with one of our volunteers," Webb says. "It's gone up each and every year."

Read With Me was born 20 years ago at a Mecca, California, school when Clay and Roberta Klein embarked on mission to help children in the area. It began as a unique fund from the Desert Community Foundation, which sent out requests for volunteers. Soon enough, help arrived.

Today, the organization boasts more than 500 volunteer tutors that serve nearly 20 schools in the Coachella Valley as well as two in Nevada. Tutors are recruited from community sponsors and other referrals. Collectively, the organization assists more than 4,200 children spanning low-income and limited English-speaking environments.

As recent grantees of the CIELO Fund through Inland Empire Community Foundation, Read With Me was able to purchase books for its east valley schools. While the organization assists schools across the entire desert, Webb says it has a keen focus on Coachella Valley Unified Schools.

"We provided elementary books for kindergarten to sixth grade," he says. "Often trying to get age-appropriate books in the hands of kids, that's the biggest thing. With our process, we tutor kids in the classroom, and then throughout the year we have two book distributions."

The organization's reach is vast — from Cathedral City Elementary School and Cesar Chavez Elementary to Agua Caliente Elementary and Mariposa Academy. Webb, who has worked steadfastly in education for 20 years, came aboard Read With Me in Spring 2023. He appreciates being part of an organization geared to improving English language skills and that fosters a caring environment that supports a child's individual development.

Upcoming Read With Me events include a Read With Me volunteer training with Riverside County of Education Instructional Services on Jan. 29 at Southwest Community Church in Indian Wells, a Read With Me Literacy Field Day for students on April 2 and 3 and the Read With Me Volunteer luncheon at Renaissance Esmeralda on April 16.

"I love being here," says Webb, who also works with Leadership Coachella Valley in its efforts to "identify, motivate and develop" future community leaders. "And I keep thinking about my daughter. She's 4 years old, and we read to her every night, if not multiple times a day. I was shocked by the HARC (Health Accountability Report Card) Report that revealed that only one in three families in the Coachella Valley — and they interviewed more than 1,500 families — read to their children under the age of 10. And that was shocking."

Moving forward, Webb will continue spreading the word that the organization is always is open to recruiting more volunteers and points people to the organization's website for more details.

Visit Read With Me at readwithmevolunteers.com.

Learn more at iegives.org.

This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: CIELO Fund grants fuels organization's efforts to boost literacy