A Rainy but Successful Lemonaide Day

It was a chilly May morning, but that didn't stop dozens of kids from setting up tables for Kids Helping Kids: Lemonaide Day on Saturday, May 13. Proceeds from the lemonade went to 6 different Alexandria non-profits, including two AMP programs: Space Of Her Own and Wright to Read.

On King Street, SOHO had its own stand set up, manned by SOHO Club mentees and mentors.  SOHO Club is made up of graduates of the SOHO 5th grade program, and creates events where girls continue to meet with their mentors and fellow SOHO girls.  These girls volunteered their Saturday in order to raise money for future SOHO girls' room makeovers, and to thank those who donated in the past and contributed to their own events and projects.  As the morning turned to afternoon, the sun came out and the day warmed up, bringing a bright end to a great day of kids going the extra mile.

Check out the SOHO Stand, and see more photos of stands from Lemonaide Day on the Kids Helping Kids Facebook.

Marjorie from Wright to Read

From student Marwah:

Each week, Marjorie and I do reading worksheets, we read and we talk. Sometimes we talk about reading and sometimes we talk about stuff we just want to talk about. We read chapter books and also fiction and non-fiction. We’ve been reading together for almost a year.

Outside of the library, we’ve gone to the IHOP [for the holiday dinner]. We also went to the summer picnic. Also, we sometimes eat marshmallows after reading.

From working with my mentor, I’ve learned how to read fluently and how to understand what I’ve read. And I’ve learned a lot more sight words. Marjorie has helped me get my reading level really high, and she’s always nice.

From tutor/mentor Marjorie:

Marwah and I have been reading together at Beatley Library once a week for close to a year. Her improvement over that time has been amazing and inspiring to watch. She has
always had a wonderful attitude, but now I see her confidence growing as she tackles big words and complex sentences.

We typically spend our hour together reviewing flash cards, practicing writing, doing workbook exercises and reading books of Marwah’s choice. She is open to reading almost any book, but she especially likes ones with colorful pictures and ones with animals. Marwah also has a wonderful sense of humor and expressively gives voice to the characters in funny books, like Mo Willems’ “Elephant and Piggie” series. Her favorite sweet is a marshmallow so I sometimes remember to bring those along.


Through Wright to Read, I’ve been able to work with Marwah to improve our reading, but I’ve also gotten to know her whole family. It’s a great organization, providing plenty of support and help.

This article was previously featured in the Alexandria Gazette and the Wright to Read Blog. 

THANK YOU'S for a Successful Spring2Action

SOHO girls, watched over by Del Ray Program Director Angela,
work hard on their hand-written thank-you notes to Spring2Action donors.

On Wednesday, April 5th, the whole community (Alexandria and beyond!) mobilized to give a total of $1,592,459 to local non-profits, including many AMP programs.  Casa Chirilagua Mentors won the contest of most donations over Casa Kids Club and Casa Bible Study, while the entire organization received 4th place for most overall donors and 2nd place for most overall dollars!  The Alexandria Seaport Foundation received 7th for most overall dollars, while Space Of Her Own had a record-breaking fundraising year and finished 15th for most overall donors and 17th for most overall dollars. Casa Chirilagua, Community Lodgings, Space of Her Own, and Wright to Read all received matching grants from the Mason Hirst Foundation.  BRYCE Project and CCNA: RARE also participated in the event and received substantial donations.  On behalf of all AMP programs, we thank everyone who contributed!  

Thanks is the most important part, as 10 SOHO boys and girls learned this past week.  For an entire day each on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday, 8 girls from Space Of Her Own and 2 boys from Space Of His Own gathered together to create hundreds of hand-written thank-you's to everyone who donated to their program.  Each wrote about what the donations will be used for, how their mentor helps them, and what their favorite part of SOHO is.  While the task was daunting and left the participants with some cramped fingers from so much writing, each expressed at the end of the day how grateful they were to everyone who had donated to make SOHO possible, and how rewarding it was to be able to express those thanks personally.  

Spring2Action is a yearly day of giving sponsored by Act for Alexandria.  Learn more about this year's fundraising results, and continue to follow AMP to see what amazing future events and projects these contributions support.  

Corrine from Wright to Read

From Corrine

In late 2015, I began looking for volunteer opportunities as a way to give back to my community. I came across Wright to Read and was impressed with the organization’s mission and what they’ve accomplished. I know how important and enjoyable reading can be and I wanted to help a child experience this same joy and prepare them to succeed in life. Shortly after expressing an interest and going through the formalities, I was paired with Liam — a wonderful second (now third) grade student at Patrick Henry Elementary School.

When our sessions first began in January 2016, Liam wasn’t very interested in reading on Saturday mornings (let alone at all); however, I soon gained his trust and utilized some resources from Wright to Read to make the sessions as enjoyable as possible. As time progressed, Liam began to make improvements in the way of taking the time to sound out words, identifying words more quickly, and reading comprehension.

Liam began to take note of his own progress, which only made him want to get better. Noticing the positive change in his effort and attitude towards reading, I made sure to acknowledge his progress in various ways (e.g., verbal praise, stickers, and spot awards). Overall, Liam has become more interested in reading and is eager to get to the reading portion of our sessions, which gives me great joy.

Liam has been such a joy to work with and I have been so impressed and amazed with his progress. It’s safe to say that Liam now enjoys reading. He has improved by leaps and bounds, and even recently received a verbal shout out over the PA system at school for his progress in reading. Liam’s parents tell me about all the various opportunities he takes to improve his reading skills: reading to younger neighbors, reading to his parents, requesting to read the newspaper, among others. Every time I hear something like this, it puts a smile on my face and makes what I’m doing worthwhile. Liam was promoted to the third grade and I look forward to continuing our work together.

From Liam

Each week, Ms. Corrine and I practice sight words and read together at the library. We have been working together for over one year. The types of books we read include half human and half animal books. We also read monster and superhero books. Some special things I have enjoyed doing with Ms. Corrine include reading books and fun activities such as word games. I also enjoy when Ms. Corrine talks to my parents. Ms. Corrine has helped me learn how to spell her name, to enjoy reading, and I’ve learned more about animals. I think Ms. Corrine should be mentor of the month, because she has helped me with my reading and she has been with me every step of the way.

From Liam’s Mom

We have seen great progress in our son's reading level since he began being tutored by a wonderful, encouraging, and generous woman. We are so grateful to her and Wright to Read for all of their assistance.

This article was previously featured in the Alexandria Gazette and the Wright to Read Blog. 

National Mentoring Month Story Contest Winner

To celebrate National Mentoring Month, the Alexandria Mentoring Partnership sponsored a Story Contest, open to all Alexandria youth ages 5 to 18.  The winner receives a $25 gift card.  Contestants were given the choice to present their story in whatever medium they chose, such as an art piece.  

The winner is 13 year old Jaylan.  Read her story below!

My mentor has been working with me for four years. She has seen me evolve from age nine to 13. She is the first mentor I have had. I get excited when it's the day for our session. 

I used to hate reading. Now I really like it because it's become much easier for me due to working with my mentor. During my free time, I read much more often than I used to. Sometimes at school during home room when other kids go on their computers to play games, I like to read a book instead. 

My mentor compliments me when I tackle a new word by sounding it out, or make text connections with my own experience; that makes me happy. She brings me little gifts from other countries she travels to so I know she was thinking about me when she was away, which makes me feel good. 

I work hard during sessions, but we also laugh a lot. We have fun reward days where we go to museums or out for lunch or to the movies. My favorite place for lunch together is a local pizza place in her neighborhood. Sometimes we go to events at Wright to Read, which are tons of fun. 

My mentor and I have a lot of things in common. We both like crazy-nuts, a food we invented by mixing craisins and peanuts. We both like French art, such as paintings by Marie Laurencin, Claude Monet, and Paul Gaugin. We both have types of arthritis; we connect on how it feels to sometimes have pain. 

On the drive to and from the session, I talk with her about what's going on in my life. And between sessions, we text each other with news, such as when I got my long hair cut short. 

She's the mentor I want to stay with forever. I want to thank her a million times because I am so grateful. 

Wright to Read Open House

Wright to Read held an event for Alexandria Mentoring Month last Thursday.  Those interested in mentoring came to the Wright to Read office in Old Town to eat snacks, talk to program staff, and hear from a current mentor.  Wright to Read was founded in 1979 by Frank and Betty Wright, and has been connecting caring volunteers with Alexandria students ever since.  Tutor/mentors meet with students once a week to work on literacy.  Wright to Read plans a weekend activity once a month for mentors and mentees to go on.  There are currently over 100 students being served by Wright to Read.  Some have been with their tutor/mentor for a decade!  

Wright to Read holds an orientation session once a month.  For those interested, start your application here. 

Peter Tomaselli of Wright to Read

FROM PETER:

As a public servant for the City of Alexandria, I have always taken great pride in providing exemplary customer service to the local citizens of this city. The city government has always had a strong belief in providing these high levels of customer service at all costs. They, also, have had a strong belief in finding ways to ensure that our youth of tomorrow succeed in life.

I would be fortunate enough to get my opportunity towards making a positive impact on the youth of tomorrow when I decided to attend an information session hosted by the Alexandria Mentoring Partnership. I learned about all the admirable programs that were in need of strong, positive mentors. Out all of those fascinating programs, I would end up being drawn towards the Wright to Read program. This program intrigued me the most primarily because I knew about the valuable importance of reading, especially, as it related to academic success and attaining further knowledge.

When I decided to become a mentor with the Wright to Read program, I really didn’t know what to expect. At first, I felt a tad anxious because I realized I would be responsible for a young individual’s success in meeting all desired reading goals. I, also, realized that I would have a strong hand in this young individual’s maturation process. So, the thought of all this became rather overwhelming to me. Fortunately, there was no reason for me to think or feel this way because I realized that I would not be alone in this mentoring process. Wright to Read willingly provided me all the tools needed to succeed in their program. Plus, I was fortunate enough to have a great supporting cast in my mentee’s family who were willing to accommodate me in any manner possible because they truly cared about the overall success of my mentee, Sean.

Sean has been such a pleasure to have as a mentee. I truly appreciate his strong effort and persistence in striving to improve in all facets of literacy. I am really not surprised that Sean has progressed in the manner that he has because he has, definitely, put in all the hard work during our sessions at the library and at home with his family. Sean is the main reason why I am even being considered for Wright to Read’s Mentor of the Month. This nomination consideration is a testament of the nearly two years of hard work that Sean and I have embarked together. I am very excited to see with what the future will hold for Sean.

FROM SEAN:

My mentor, Peter, and I read every week at Beatley Library. We met when I was a second grader and continued meeting during the summer when school was out. I like meeting with Peter to improve my reading. I have learned to improve my fluency in reading. I have also increased my reading speed and I don’t sound choppy anymore. We read mostly books that interests me. We have ready anywhere from poetry to fiction to non-fiction books.

We sometimes meet outside of our sessions on the weekends as well. We like going to the pool and having family dinners. The best day was when my mentor met me at the renaissance festival for my birthday.

Peter deserves to be the Mentor of the Month, because we have worked as a team to improve each week. He always pushes me to go to the next level. The Wright to Read program has helped me read over the level I am supposed to be. I truly consider my mentor a big brother. Thank you Wright to Read!

This article was previously published in the Alexandria Gazette, http://www.connectionnewspapers.com/news/2017/jan/13/helping-shape-future-alexandria-mentor-month/

Wright to Read Tutors: Training Video on using the DIBELS assessment