H C B A
P R E S I D E N T ’ S
M E S S A G E
K e v i n M c L a u g h l i n - W a g n e r M c L a u g h l i n , P. A .
A Dream Come True:
The Young Readers Initiative
I am proud to report that lawyers volunteered 208 hours reading to
167 children in six elementary schools.
M
y first article of the year focused on
the Read to Dream program, which
was the brainchild of the late John
Germany. The idea was simple: start
a program whereby lawyers would
spend about an hour a week simply reading to elementary
school children. The hope was that exposure to literature
at a young age would foster a lifelong love of reading.
Studies have shown that children who read regularly do
better in school, go on to work in higher paying jobs, and
are generally more productive citizens. It was for this
reason that Mr. Germany wanted the program to target
elementary schools with high populations of poor and
disadvantaged children. The program featured an eight-
week session in the fall and a second eight-week session in
the spring. I am happy to report that the program met and
exceeded expectations by every measure.
7=*;62&B
8'=2=&B A$? =;B A=%*286'
@ 62&B8;B
#;=B*2B(8)B6))8)<6;$=B 8<(B<(=B>=6&B<*B2=6%B;8<86<8= B(=
6 62&B8)B2=)=;<=&B6;;#6''BB<(=B2=)8&=;B:395
+BB/41@B7@-.?>