Today's guest post comes from Mary-Grace Reeves, founder of The American Girl Book Club.

Last month marked a significant milestone for the members of the Pensacola High School Class of 2012, as well as high school seniors across the country: graduation. This ceremony embodied both a celebration of our diligent academic efforts and the start of a new chapter in our lives, as we continue to pursue our education. As the familiar tune of “Pomp and Circumstance” echoed throughout the auditorium and the proud graduates entered with their shining caps and gowns, I could not help remembering discussions I had held just days earlier with my classmates about our intended careers. Dreams of becoming nuclear engineers. Neurosurgeons. Biochemists. Physicists. And myself, a pediatric ophthalmologist. While each of these careers requires rigorous preparation in the fields of math and science, these paths could not be achieved without excellent reading skills. In fact, if it were not for the dedication of our parents, family, teachers, and mentors who had supported our reading endeavors since we were children, my classmates and I might not have been contemplating futures in such specialized careers, let alone graduating from high school.

In 2008, I had begun volunteering at our local library, as our city continued to recover from the devastation of Hurricane Ivan. That summer, at the age of 13, I recognized a void in literacy opportunities, specifically for young girls, within my own community. I had a plan to change this. I envisioned founding the American Girl Book Club, a historical literacy program through which I could help girls (ages seven to twelve) strengthen their reading skills, teach them about our country’s past, educate them regarding the value of cultural diversity, and lead them in volunteer efforts to serve our community.

But while a principle focus of the American Girl Book Club is helping the girls develop their own literacy abilities, I also aim to show them the many opportunities reading offers. Literacy brings to life the stories of American Girl characters Molly, Addy, Kit, Marie-Grace, and Kanani. Then, after the girls have read the assigned American Girl “book of the month,” I build upon these fictional characters’ adventures by incorporating them into the program curriculum and comparing them to real-life scenarios. For example, in the spirit of American Girl Kit, from the Great Depression, I founded the Annual American Girl Book Club Food Drive for Manna Food Pantry, through which the girls and I have raised countless pounds of food for our local food pantry. Other references from the American Girl series have sparked ideas for me to lead the youth in the creation of a marine life conservation program in partnership with the University of Florida, constructing two patriotic memorials displayed in New York City and Washington, DC for the ninth and tenth anniversaries of 9/11, participating in the National Valentines for Veterans Project, National Stop the Bullying Day, and much more.

I then couple these service activities with historical lessons, by inviting the Daughters of the American Revolution to provide a Colonial-era fashion display, or the National Museum of Naval Aviation to present children’s toys from World War II. Simultaneously, I teach the girls the importance of cultural diversity and appreciation, through annual participation in the National African American Read-In, inviting Asian-American linguists to teach Chinese calligraphy, working with the Global Corner International Learning Center to promote Russian heritage, and more. But my greatest joy is seeing the smiling faces of the girls I work with, and the impressive reading gains they have made. I look forward to seeing all that they accomplish in the future.

So remember, when you take the time to help a child learn to read, you are helping a student who will someday be a graduate and study to become a surgeon, lawyer, or even a teacher.

This summer you can make your mark on the world and inspire others to do the same through generationOn's Community Action Heroes summer program! Visit communityactionheroes.generationon.org to find out more about the range of youth service projects you can get involved in, as well as the national recognition and prizes that you can win for your creativity and effort.

Mary-Grace Reeves is a freshman at Harvard College in Cambridge, Massachusetts and a graduate of the International Baccalaureate Diploma Program at Pensacola High School in Pensacola, Florida. In 2008, she founded the American Girl Book Club, a historical literacy and service program through which she has worked with over 1,000 girls throughout the Gulf Coast Region. She is a member of the 2011 PARADE All-America High School Service Team, a 2012 National Coca-Cola Scholar, a 2012 National AXA Achievement Scholar, a National Merit Scholar, and was selected as the Student Representative of North and South American IB Diploma Programs for the 2012 IB World Schools Yearbook.