In the spirit of the giving season, we’d like to take a moment to appreciate the great work being done by one of our favorite local nonprofits, Reading Results. As some of you may know, LegalRev’s CEO Darin Fenn and Director of Operations Rachel Schmidt sit on the board of SEMpdx. Each year, SEMpdx chooses a nonprofit to donate pro bono SEO and web services to in an effort to improve the awareness and reach of said organization in our community.
Setting Kids Up for Success
Reading Results is a truly unique and innovative organization focused on increasing literacy in underserved students in the Portland area. Founded in 2000, Reading Results works in concert with parents, teachers, and peers to tutor students in reading and writing. In their first year they were able to tutor 35 students. They will serve 650 students this year alone!
Addressing a Community Need
When we began working with Reading Results, they shared with us the shocking fact that students who are of low-income and can’t read at grade level by the end of third grade are 13 times less likely to graduate from high school on time. Paired with the troubling fact that Oregon has one of the lowest high school graduation rates in the country, Reading Results is helping to alleviate a significant state-wide problem.
Making a Difference
On October 18th, Reading Results hosted a successful open house to thank their donors and community supporters. They were able to report that after one year of tutoring with Reading Results, students gain an average of 1.6 years reading skill and 32 words per minute in reading fluency. 100% of students scored higher on reading assessments after just one year in the program.
Starting this month, Reading Results begins their annual “Year End Giving” campaign and will be featured in Willamette Weekly’s 2016 Holiday Give Guide. We hope you’ll join us in supporting their noble mission of helping Oregon students succeed.
How SEO Supports Community Involvement
With so many deserving nonprofits abound, it can be difficult for donors to decide where to put their dollars. Being discovered by people who share your organization’s values, hopes, and dreams takes a lot of the work of convincing someone to donate out of the equation. LegalRev is thrilled to have been able to help Reading Results gain traction online and (hopefully!) further their great work. To everyone at Reading Results and their donors, THANK YOU from all of us at LegalRev!