This post was contributed by a community member. The views expressed here are the author's own.

Community Corner

The Dean & Margaret Lesher Foundation Grants $15,000 to Buena Vista Auxiliary's Literacy Program

The Dean & Margaret Lesher Foundation is furthering its mission to support education, children and families with a $15,000 grant over three years to Buena Vista Auxiliary of Assistance League® of Diablo Valley.  This support will help over 35 struggling students learn to read in the Mt. Diablo and Walnut Creek School Districts.

Assistance League® of Diablo Valley is a volunteer organization, based in Walnut Creek, which helps the community through its eight major philanthropic programs.  

One part of the organization is Buena Vista Auxiliary (BVA), which runs the Buena Vista Tutorial Program, an early intervention literacy program for elementary school students in Contra Costa County.  Students who read below grade level are given focused reading tutoring with a credentialed teacher and a low student to tutor ratio (2:1) at no cost to the schools or families.  Upon completion of tutoring, BVA holds a celebration party at each school, where students read aloud to teachers and family, and are given gift bags with school supplies and three books each at their new reading level.  As a direct result of this program, 97% of participating children have shown significant improvement in their reading skills, self-confidence and self esteem.  This program is currently active in eleven elementary schools in the Mt. Diablo and Walnut Creek Unified School Districts.  

Find out what's happening in Concordwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Since establishing the Buena Vista Tutorial Program in 1993, the organization has provided over 32,000 hours of tutoring and over 12,000 books to more than 4,000 participants.  They have received an Outstanding Service Award from the Mount Diablo Unified School District.  

For more information, please email aldv@sbcglobal.net or visitwww.diablovalley.assistanceleague.org orwww.facebook.com/BuenaVistaAuxiliary.

Find out what's happening in Concordwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

The views expressed in this post are the author's own. Want to post on Patch?