Through a partnership with Renuzit Snuggle, the United Way of Washington County TN was able to hand out 5,000 teddy bears to every K-3 student in Johnson City and Washington County last week.
Reading aloud is one of the most important activities for eventual success in reading. Not only is reading aloud important for success in reading, but it also helps kids in the area of public speaking and making a voice for themselves.
With that in mind, Renuzit Snuggle made the donation in hopes that the teddy bears will be comforting friends and listeners for the young, growing readers of Washington County.
“Reading is so important for our elementary school students, and having a friend to read to makes it even more fun. We are so thankful to Renuzit Snuggle for thinking of our students to receive this donation. Our Vello program is in many of the schools, and we hope that the bears will be an added addition to make reading fun,” said Kristan Spear, President and CEO of the United Way of Washington County.
United Way of Washington County launched its Vello program in 2018, providing virtual reading support to 300 kids in the Washington County and Johnson City School systems. Eighty of those kids received one-on-one tutoring from a Vello Volunteer.
Vello matches tutor teams with local classrooms for guided reading support. To learn more about the United Way of Washington County TN and the Vello program, visit uwowc.org.
