Reading from United Way

The United Way of Eastern Maine begins its 2000 fund-raising campaign at noon today at Bass Park. Its monetary goal this year is an ambitious $2.6 million, but more important than just the money is the agency’s new literacy initiative, Read for Success, which encourages adults to read to children more often. The campaign should find an enthusiastic response in the five counties the agency serves.

United Way is well regarded as a major funding source for scores of local organizations; thousands of residents either donate on their own or use their place of employment to dedicate a small portion of their paycheck to its many valued causes, including YMCAs, Big Brother/Big Sister programs and Scouting. The Read for Success program, part of the Greater Bangor Communities for Children, is something different. It set six goals that all point to improved literacy as a means to a better life. The goals are that children arrive at school ready to succeed; the community provides a caring and encouraging environment for learning; youth have the opportunity to provide useful roles in the community; children and youth have positive peer relationships; families have positive communication; and communities offer responsible role models.

Without specific actions to back up these goals, they look more like a wish list that could be applied anywhere at any time. But Read for Success is more about doing than contemplating lofty ideals. Its Born to Read component, for instance, gets volunteer readers from the Retired and Senior Volunteer Program into day care centers, schools and Head Start programs. A similar program, Let’s Read, matches groups of employees or members of service clubs with pupils at schools or day care after school to help with reading and tutoring. Book Collections, as the name suggests, collects new or gently used children’s books to redistribute to families or day-care centers.

It will require several years of effort before Read for Success organizers know whether their efforts are having a positive effect on children, but it’s a good bet they will. Meanwhile, today’s kickoff marks the beginning of another year of support, affirming again United Way’s effectiveness at meeting the region’s common needs.