Congressman Bera’s act of kindness during the government shutdown

On December 19, 2013, Congressman Ami Bera, made a visit to Reading Partners’ Sacramento reading center at Thomas Edison Elementary School. Where he met with students, staff, and AmeriCorps members.

While the recent government shutdown sparked partisan divisions in DC and overarching negative reactions across the country. Congressman Bera stood out, turning a difficult political situation into an opportunity to give back to the community.

After Congressman Bera, 7th District, donated half of his paycheck from the government shut down to support Reading Partners Sacramento, he asked to visit one of our reading centers to learn more about our work with struggling readers. His visit to Thomas Edison was also an opportunity to hear from students and reward them for working hard in our program.

The students didn’t quite know what to think when Congressman Bera asked if there was anything they wanted him to tell the President!

About Reading Partners
Reading Partners is a national nonprofit that provides volunteer-led, one-on-one literacy tutoring to K-5 students at low-income elementary schools. Reading Partners has an 89% success rate improving students’ reading skills. At each school site, Reading Partners transforms a dedicated space into a reading center and recruits a corps of 40-100 community volunteers who work directly with students. Volunteers are trained and supported by site coordinators to use a highly structured and research-validated curriculum to work one-on-one with students who have fallen behind in reading. To learn more, visitwww.staging.readingpartners.org.