President's Corner: Urgent Need for Reading Tutors

Way too many Oakland kids from low-income families are slipping through the cracks because they lack reading skills. When Faith Network first launched in 2001, 70% of Oakland’s third-graders were reading below grade level. Now in 2015, 60% are reading below grade level. Oakland has made progress, but the percentage is still intolerable.

Basic literacy skills will go a long way towards interrupting generational poverty while potentially creating new legacies for generations to come. Our 20 Excel Reading Clinics currently serve about 200 students. We have the capacity to reach an additional 100 students if we recruit 50 more volunteer tutors.

Please consider joining me and our growing team of reading tutors. And recruit a friend to join you. As a reading tutor, your task is to inspire a child to become a successful reader. The time commitment is two or more hours per week during school hours. We provide training and on-site support and guidance.


For me personally, tutoring second-graders one-on-one at Prescott Elementary is the highlight of my week. Today I asked my tutee Jennifer how she felt about our reading clinic experience. She replied, “Learning is fun!”

Some next steps
• Contact Rebecca Buckley, rebecca@faith-network.com.
• Complete the registration process, which includes a TB assessment and
live scan background check.
• Attend a November training session at the Faith Network office:

    Saturday, November 7
    9:00-11:30 am

    Tuesday, November 17
    3:30-6:00 pm

Thank you for considering my appeal. I’m emboldened by this scriptural injunction: “You have not because you ask not” (James 4:3).

Shalom, Oakland!
Randy