Special to the Minden Press-Herald
Step Forward is adding a new literacy volunteer training orientation for Webster Parish. It is set for Thursday, August 2 2018.
During the 2017-18 school year, nearly 700 students in Northwest Louisiana sat down for an hour each week with a literacy volunteer to strengthen emerging reading skills.
The program resulted in 200 literacy volunteers making an impact in 30 schools with nearly 5,000 hours of collective volunteer time.
With new schools joining program for the 2018-2019 school year, Step Forward is actively seeking new volunteers.
“The children I worked with were all so eager to read and learn which made the entire experience very rewarding,” said Central Park Elementary Literacy Volunteer Araceli Bateman. “One person can make a difference.”
If you would like more information, please contact Community Engagement Coordinator Kirk Reedstrom at 318-404-1751 or kirk@stepforwardnla.org
Step Forward
Step Forward is an emerging cradle-to-career “collective impact” initiative to improve outcomes for children and youth in the four-parish MSA of Bossier, Caddo, DeSoto and Webster parishes. Established in 2013 by the Community Foundation of North Louisiana, Step Forward is based on a nationally recognized model using data-driven research and proven results to organize collaborative action partnerships around outcomes for children, beginning at birth through post-secondary education/training to employment in a sustainable, living wage career.
Community Foundation of North Louisiana
Established in 1961, the Community Foundation of North Louisiana’s mission is to strengthen communities through philanthropy. By bringing together fund donors, their financial advisors and nonprofit agencies, the Foundation is a powerful catalyst for building charitable giving and effecting positive change in our area.
Through the generosity and vision of our family of donors, both past and present, the Foundation has made grants to vital nonprofit organizations since our inception.
In our shared endeavor to build a more robust, vibrant community, we fund a variety of critical initiatives, including education, health, arts and culture, and poverty alleviation.
Through integrity and sound financial practices, the Foundation has successfully stewarded the philanthropic interests of past donors and is poised to lead the next generation of givers to address the challenges facing our region.