Cultivating a Love of Literacy in Youth

Meet Daily Point of Light Award honoree Ryan Tonkovich. Read his story, and nominate an outstanding volunteer or family as a Daily Point of Light.

When COVID-19 hit, the world shut down and people disappeared into their homes. But Ryan Tonkovich, now 18, was using the time to reach outward. He and his older sister founded Read Aloud Buddies to mitigate some of the fallout from children being pulled from their educational routines. Together, they ensured preschoolers through sixth graders were practicing literacy skills amidst library closures and remote schooling.

For the last six years, children enrolled in their program have met weekly with a high school- or college-aged volunteer reader to read and discuss books over Zoom, building vital skills throughout the school year. The movement has been wildly popular. Since its inception, 150 volunteers have read to over 400 children. And it’s not just in Ryan’s community.

Volunteer readers and kids have signed up from all over the country. Two enthusiastic volunteers have even started their own chapters in Florida and Massachusetts with the help of a manual Ryan wrote to help get them off the ground. This fall, Ryan plans to add a fourth chapter of Read Aloud Buddies wherever he decides to attend college, paving the way for even more kids to fall in love with reading.

What inspired you to get started with this initiative?

I started Read Aloud Buddies during COVID. It was the spring of 2020. I emailed the principal of an elementary school and proposed this idea of reading to the children.

It initially started with reading to classrooms of kids, and then parents began asking if we could do one-on-one sessions. That’s when the idea of Read Aloud Buddies came about. I started it with my sister, who is now a sophomore in college, and we run it together.
I’m starting to get the younger siblings of initial kids in the program. It’s really nice to see whole families go through, and to look back at how much of an impact we’ve had. We started out with just one school, one classroom. Now, we have kids and volunteers from all over the U.S.
I’ve done some baking and other volunteering on the side, but this has always been my main focus.

Tell us about your volunteer role with Read Aloud Buddies.

I manage people. If I get readers, I recruit volunteers for them. We serve 50 children every week in our online sessions, many of whom are from Title I schools and Head Start programs.

I also train new volunteer readers on how to read in order to keep kids engaged. They generally read to the same person each week throughout the school year, providing opportunities to interact and talk, developing their vocabulary—particularly important for those who don’t speak English at home—and building listening and reading comprehension skills. Books are shown on the screen as they go.

Once a month, I check in with both readers and families to make sure things are going well. And I write grants to secure funding to purchase books. As of now, we’ve secured $1,050. We’ve received books through our donation bins and our Amazon Wishlist, as well. Altogether, we’ve gifted around 1,200 of them.

Last summer, I started doing in-person sessions at local public libraries, community centers and elementary schools. We went to a family shelter last month, too. Those typically have a group of 10 to 30 children, and I let them each choose a book to take home. Our online students receive books that match their reading level and interests twice a year.

What’s been the most rewarding part of your work?

The most rewarding thing has been seeing how big it’s grown. We have people contacting us, asking to join, and we have teachers recommending children. We have siblings coming back, and we have readers and children from all over the U.S. That’s really rewarding. And also, when you do the in-person sessions, a lot of the kids will ask to be read to more or for us to reread a book, which is always really nice. The parents are happy. The kids are happy. We’ve spent over 9,000 hours reading. I just think it’s a great program.

What have you learned through your experiences as a volunteer?

The little things add up. Something as simple as reading can have a really big impact, particularly because a lot of the kids that we read to don’t speak English at home. English isn’t their first language, so it helps them get on par with their classmates. And I’ve learned the power of teamwork. Our volunteers and I work really hard to make this happen and to keep these sessions running smoothly each week. There’s a lot of collaboration between teachers, readers, schools, parents and kids.

Why is it important for others to get involved with causes they care about?
If there’s something you’re passionate about or really enjoy, there’s always a service opportunity revolving around that or that uses those skills. Service, overall, is usually about helping those who don’t have as many resources, and that’s a good thing in general.

Any advice for people who want to start volunteering?

When you initially start, you might think you’re going to have very little impact, that you’re just going to be spending a lot of time on something that’s not really going to change anything. In reality, every little thing matters. If a bunch of people are doing a bunch of little things, it’s going to add up. Over these last six years, we’ve seen how much Read Aloud Buddies has grown, and that’s a very important lesson for people getting into service.

What do you want people to learn from your story?

Do what you can for your community, because in the end, however small it is, you’re helping someone who needs it. Follow your passion. With patience and time, small acts can really make a big impact.

Do you want to make a difference in your community like Ryan? Find local volunteer opportunities.