Words Alive, a non-profit organization located in downtown San Diego, is dedicated to providing opportunities that encourage a commitment to reading. The organization’s ability to connect children and families to the power of reading recently resulted in their naming as the 2023 Professional Golfers’ Association of America (PGA) Tour Charity of the Year.

According to the PGA Tour sitio web, the award comes with a $30,000 grant, “which will allow Words Alive to empower trained volunteers to bring reading and stories alive for children, teens and families in San Diego’s historically underserved neighborhoods through book clubs for teens, read aloud sessions in elementary classrooms and early literacy workshops for caregivers with young children.”

Located at 770 Park Blvd., the non-profit serves 5,000 students and families yearly through their countless resources, programs, volunteers and staff.

Their Read Aloud program, for example, is led weekly by volunteers who, as the name suggests, read aloud to 2,355 elementary students in Title 1 schools throughout San Diego County,” said Words Alive Board President Meredith Baratz.

Under the California Department of Education (CDE), federally funded Title 1 programs help disadvantaged students by “ensur[ing] all children have a fair, equal and significant opportunity to obtain a high-quality education and reach minimum proficiency,” according to the CDE sitio web.

El Cajon Valley High, Grossmont High, Valhalla High, Alcott Elementary, Carver Elementary and High Tech Middle Media Arts are a few of the many recognized Title 1 schools in San Diego Unified and Grossmont Union School Districts, as reported by the CDE’s 2021 – 2022 fiscal year Title 1, Part A Schools informe.

When analyzing Word Alive’s success, Baratz reported that “98 percent of teachers reported their students enjoyed the books read aloud each week and 72 percent of teachers indicated their students asked to reread the Words Alive books in class,” said Baratz. “91 percent of teachers reported their students shared the books they were gifted from Words Alive with their families, displaying the enthusiasm for learning that research shows improves outcomes around school participation and attendance.”

Additionally, their flagship program, Adolescent Book Group (ABG), engages 496 young adults with books that incorporate contemporary themes relevant to their lived experiences. Baratz additionally said that participants’ ability to make connections to and through text is a primary focus for the ABG.

Family Program Manager Faryl Kander, PhD., — a Patrick Henry High School alumni — manages Word Alive’s Let’s Read Family Literacy program, which annually reaches between 1,500 – 2,000 participants.

“It is our fastest growing program,” said Words Alive Program Director Melinda Cooper, PMP. “We hope to share it with as many families as possible through our highly accessible and bilingual virtual workshop model, as well as in person with strategic partners across the region.”

In response to the San Diego Council on Literacy’s recent report, stating that 46% of third graders throughout the San Diego Unified School District are not currently meeting reading and writing standards — disproportionately among Black and Brown students — Baratz shared that “being able to read, and make a meaningful connection with what one reads, is the key to leading a full, free life.”

Reading is a foundational skill to navigate the world around us

Baratz continued to say that “[Reading] is also a foundational skill to navigate the world around us and for future success in the workforce, especially in STEM-related fields. The problem of illiteracy contributes, individually and systematically, to heightened poverty, health issues and the inability to advocate for oneself, participate civically and understand our rapidly changing world. Even more jarring, this unstable educational foundation often is devastatingly compounded by the state of child and adolescent mental health.”

Cooper similarly touched on illiteracy as a result of systemic poverty.

“[…] Poverty, which is the result of systemic disinvestment and racism perpetrated on our Black, Brown and immigrant communities at objectively disproportionate rates from White middle- and upper-class communities. Together we can all do something about it. But if we ignore it or wait for someone else to do it, then the gap will get wider and wider.”

Bridging that gap is exactly what Words Alive is all about.

“Words Alive takes special care in representing the youth we serve,” explained Program Operations Coordinator Alex Diebolt. “To make lifelong learners we want students to connect on a deep level to the books we give out. Every tote that leaves from our Let’s Read program has basic school supplies in it so that every student can participate in our crafts.”

For Cooper, they don’t have all the answers, they are “simply showing up for and inviting folks’ who’ve historically not been invested in, invited to or able to engage with the traditional perceptions around reading and its byproduct, lifelong learning and civic engagement. As a part of this hugely impactful institution, I’m humbled to be here at a time when national recognition is starting to arrive.”

As Words Alive continues to make a difference for many youth and families, Donor Manager Tracy Dahlkamp M.P.A shared that individuals interested in helping spread their love for reading to youth across San Diego can do so by visiting https://www.wordsalive.org/.