United Way of Porter County Inc

Creating lasting change begins with one person - one person to help a child perform better in school, one person to help a struggling family get back on their feet, one person to feed a couple who might not eat today.  It takes just one person to make a difference, and You Can Be the One!

Under our Education initiative and though a partnership with Valparaiso University Girls Softball, United Way has a program called I Need a Hug / Reading Buddies.  The program began in 2003 and has grown by leaps and bounds each year.  Initially, elementary school counselors were given new stuffed animals to give to students who were distressed.  The stuffed animals helped to console children who were affected by a death in the family, etc. 

Around 2008, the program manifested into Reading Buddies, a literacy initiative.  Participating classrooms receive a delivery of new stuffed animals, which are used by students to read out loud to daily.  At the end of the school year, the students can then take their Buddy home, where they are encouraged to continue reading throughout the summer.

This past year, more than 3500 stuffed animals were distributed to 106 classroooms....A great achievement, but we are experiencing waiting lists.  Most stuffed animals are collected through community drives by  Companies, Civic Groups, Daisy Troops, Churches, and even a child who asked his guests to bring a new stuffed animal for a donation in lieu of a present for his birthday party.  While these community drives are amazing, we still need more to meet the demand.

Reading scores are improving, and children are developing a love for reading through our program.  We need to eliminate the waiting lists.  The only way to do this is to purchase new stuffed animals, when collection drives fall short.

Please help provide a Reading Buddy for a child's lap!