Reading Education Foundation awards $22,592 in classroom grants
Hands-on learning tools to help children with autism strengthen their verbal skills, books aimed at helping multi-lingual elementary school students improve their reading skills and a pilot program that will provide eyeglasses to 300 students all have something in common.
They are just three of the initiatives funded by the Reading Education Foundation for the 2024-2025 school year.
The foundation announced the award of nine classroom and schoolwide grants, totaling $22,592, during its annual Friends and Family Reunion. The recent fundraiser at FirstEnergy Stadium drew about 200 community members.
The event also was an opportunity to recognize two community partners: the Rev. Bishop Robert E. Brookins Sr. and White Star Tours.
Brookins, pastor of Holy Trinity Church of God, 130 W. Buttonwood St., is the recipient of the foundation's annual Dream, Believe and Achieve Award.
The award is presented to an individual who exemplifies the foundation's mission to help students in the Reading School District dream, believe and achieve.
Brookins and his wife, Margaret, were introduced by their daughter Dr. Paige Brookins, vice president of the Reading School Board.
A 1965 graduate of Reading High School, Brookins is a familiar face at the school, where he helped create a summer program that provides one-on-one and classroom leadership education for youth and enhances youth engagement and learning through student empowerment.
The Rev. Bishop Robert E. Brookins Sr., seen with his wife, Margaret, was presented with the Reading Education Foundation's annual Dream, Believe and Achieve Award at the foundation's recent Friends and Family Reunion at FirstEnergy Stadium.MICHELLE LYNCH – READING EAGLE
White Star Tours was presented with this year's Community Partner award.
The Shillington travel center has assisted in the foundation's growth by contributing management and program planning expertise, sponsorships and donations of trip packages for raffles.
Also a 1965 Reading High graduate, Chris Kraras, chairman of the board of White Star, serves as vice president of the education foundation.
Since its founding in 2021, the nonprofit organization has raised more than $120,000 used to fund innovative educational experiences for students in the Reading School District, said Gordon G. Hoodak, executive director of the foundation and a retired principal of Lauer's Park Elementary School.
In addition to the classroom and schoolwide grants, the foundation's annual Fund-A-Cause initiative this year will support establishing hydroponic gardens in every middle school and sending all Reading High students involved in the school show to see a Broadway production in New York.
A Reading Education Foundation 2023-24 grant funded hydroponics project by Northwest Middle School students was on display during the foundation's Family and Friends Reunion at FirstEnergy Stadium. From left are Aleeza Leon and Brenna Thompson, both 11 and both sixth graders; Elizabeth Gardner, gifted support teacher; and Joel Brigel, principal. (BILL UHRICH – READING EAGLE)
The following grants were awarded:
• Karissa Burns, Tyson Schoener Elementary School – $1,000 to equip the school library with between 15 and 20 Wonderbooks, which are multisensory learning tools that help children increase vocabulary and reading comprehension and fluency.
• Lori Dubal, Riverside Elementary School – $997 to provide the autistic support classroom with more hands-on learning objects for use during activities and in related real-life environments for the purpose of strengthening the verbal behavior of learners with autism and language delays.
• Eric Garcia, 10th and Penn Elementary School – $4,845 to provide the school with a Flex Farm hydroponic garden that will be used by students to plant, grow and harvest crops. One space-saving, energy efficient Flex Farm uses 98% less water than traditional growing methods and can produce more than 394 pounds of food annually.
• Stan Kuzawa, Reading High School – $5,000 to purchases a GlowForge 3D Laser Printer to be used by the 720 students in the technology education classes. Students use design thinking to challenge assumptions, redefine problems and create innovative ways to prototype and test strategies and solutions. Through iteration, designing, printing and assembling, students will see their ideas come to life.
• Ryan Oberly, 16th and Hawk Elementary School – $850 to purchase equipment for an after-school science, technology, engineering and math club that will focus on designing and building a miniature model car course that, coupled with a GoPro camera, will encourage students to explore the physics of velocity, mass, momentum and air resistance.
• Ashley Rambo, Amanda E. Stout Elementary School – $1,000 to equip the multilingual classroom of 25-30 students with 15-20 Wonderbooks.
• Carmela Steyaert, Glenside Elementary School – $4,000 to purchase six Sonor Primary Xylophones to support music education schoolwide. The xylophones will support students in learning the fundamentals of music theory, rhythm, melody and harmony and will provide opportunities for creative expression through improvisation and composition.
• Erika Tarnoski, 13th and Union Elementary School – $1,900 toward the purchase of items that will provide aids for sensory seeking behaviors to children with autism to help them learn appropriate methods to regulate their emotions.
• Ann Fisher, districtwide student services – $3,000 to establish a pilot program that will provide eye glasses to 300 students.
