Kenneth J. Allen Law Group Partners with United Way Reading Buddies

VALPARAISO, Ind. - July 9, 2015 - PRLog -- United Way of Porter County (UWPC) is pleased to announce a new partnership with Kenneth J. Allen Law Group as the Program Sponsor of the United Way Reading Buddies program. On Tuesday, July 7 at the UWPC office, Ken and Nina Allen presented UWPC with a $20,000 check to fund this regional literacy program.

Reading Buddies is currently in 125 first and second grade classrooms in Northwest Indiana, and with this funding, it will be able to expand into additional classrooms, offering an opportunity for more children to learn and read with a Reading Buddy.

“We greatly appreciate this generous support from Kenneth J. Allen Law Group,” said UWPC Director of Volunteer Engagement Mackenna Schon. “Teachers involved in the program have shared the great success Reading Buddies has had building confidence in developing readers. We are thrilled to offer that chance for success to so many more young readers.”

“Education of our young people is critically important to maintaining a strong and successful society. It is our pleasure to sponsor this program with that goal in mind,” said Mr. Allen.

Reading Buddies is a literacy program developed by United Way that provides first and second graders with a stuffed animal “buddy” for the children to read aloud to for 15 minutes each day, increasing their motivation to read. In conjunction with the teacher’s instruction, the Reading Buddy tool leads to higher oral fluency scores and achieving reading at grade level.

For additional information, contact Mackenna Schon at mackenna@unitedwaypc.org

United Way of Porter County leads, unites, and inspires our community to improve lives. United Way invests in 3 core strategies: Education, Financial Stability and Health. We help nearly 40,000 Porter County residents per year build better lives. For more information, visit www.unitedwaypc.org, www.unitedforchildren.org & www.nwivolunteer.org or call 219-464-3583.