Volunteer Action Center Literacy Program

Founded by University of Arkansas students in 2010, the Volunteer Action Center Literacy Program is a student lead volunteer program that tutors children in literacy in Fayetteville, Arkansas.

The program encourages reading and developing an enjoyment of reading among school-aged children who receive free and reduced lunches. In addition, the program addresses the need of providing low-income children with quality, awarding-winning books to develop their own personal libraries. Through research, the program’s student volunteers discovered children that who have quality books of their own have higher reading scores.

The Volunteer Action Center Literacy Program engages 170 students each week who tutor first through fifth graders in one-on-one reading. Volunteers give a minimum of 20 hours a semester with training and tutoring, and many volunteer multiple semesters.

Student leaders of the literacy program have written and received grants to provide books to create personal libraries for the children and to provide quality books at each reading site. They have also secured funding for games that develop literacy skills.

The Volunteer Action Center Literacy Program demonstrates that one college student can make an impact in a child’s life by volunteering one hour a week. As a group of volunteers, they show the Arkansas community that students care and are invested while they are at the University of Arkansas.