Literacy Network volunteer spreads enthusiasm about reading

Mary Ann Russo volunteers six times a week as a reading instructor for the Literacy Network of Greater Cincinnati—twice a week with adults whose goal is typically to attain a GED and four times a week with second-graders at Evanston Academy.
 
Russo, who has been with the organization for about a year now, says the LNGC’s work was on her radar for a long time; so as soon as she had the time in her life to engage on a regular basis, that’s what she did.
 
“I truly believe that literacy, being able to read, is absolutely a key for a better life,” says Russo, whose passion for reading is something she aims to share with others. “I want other people to enjoy reading, too.”
 
And after one of her 8-year-old students finished "Horton Hatches the Egg," Russo says it was evident that accomplishing the challenge of finishing this 60-page Dr. Seuss book made him “flat-out happy.”
 
“When we sat down to read, this little guy was a bit nervous because this was a very big challenge for him,” Russo says. “When he finished the book, his smile just lit up his face and the room. He hugged me. He ran back to his classroom and hugged his teacher. He hugged his teacher’s aide, too.”
 
Spreading that passion and that joy that facilitates the learning process is Russo’s goal, she says, because it’s important to her that individuals achieve their dreams and that they no longer feel intimidated by “printed words on a paper, a screen or a sign.”
 
“Most clients have a work history and have learned how to compensate for their weak reading skills. But, they are tired of not being able to read well, and they know a lack of reading skills are holding them back from living a life they want to live,” Russo says. “Young and old, everyone wants to learn.”

Do Good:

•    Become a LNGC volunteer.

•    Attend the LNGC's Scripps Adult Spelling Bee for Literacy at Holy Grail at the Banks. Happy hour tickets are $20 dollars and include two drink tickets. The event takes place May 22 at 4:30 p.m. and 10 percent of the evening's proceeds go to the LNGC.

•    Support the LNGC.

Brittany York is a professor of English composition at the University of Cincinnati and a project manager for Charitable Words. She also edits the For Good section of SoapboxMedia.