By Jaylan

I find it helpful to have a mentor so I can get extra help with reading. I’ve been working my mentor, Ms Jill, for more than three years. Now my reading, comprehension and spelling are better. She is the best mentor.

I put stickers on a little chart for every session we do. When I have filled up my sticker chart, we go out and have lots of fun, like go to the movies or a museum or go to a café to get cupcakes. Sometimes Ms. Jill goes on trips and brings me back small gifts, like a little shadow puppet from Indonesia.

One of the things we have in common is that we both a type of arthritis, which is an auto-immune disease. I have SLE lupus and she has rheumatoid arthritis. We can talk about what’s going on with our bodies in relation to these conditions. We can talk about how we both need to manage pain, must be sure to take our medications, need to avoid certain foods such as drinks that contain caffeine, and do exercises that help us feel better.

By Mentor Jill Ahrold

Jaylan is a very dedicated learner. Even on days when she is having some pain, she comes to session with a positive attitude and does her best. I have seen so much improvement in her language skills because of all of her hard work. I also am very impressed with her maturity in educating herself about lupus and helping raise awareness with her peers and teachers about the particulars of this condition.

By Jaylan

This year, I started sixth grade. Ms Jill and I decided that we both wanted to continue doing sessions. We’re excited about starting new journeys!

Wright to Read provides volunteer-based one-on-one sustained literacy tutoring and mentoring relationships to City of Alexandria elementary school children in need, and collaborates with families, schools and community partners to create a comprehensive support network that guides each child to success. Wright to Read is a member of the Alexandria Mentoring Partnership (AMP). AMP was created in 2006 to ensure that quality mentors and mentor programs are available for Alexandria's youth and young adults in need. To learn more about Wright to Read, visit www.wrighttoread.org or to learn more about AMP, visit: http://www.alexandriava.gov/Mentoring.