By: MAYA THOMPSON

Every year the Boys and Girls Club of Greenwich teams up with the Greenwich United Way to open up a program to tutor the young readers of Greenwich. This year 45 Greenwich Elementary Public school students earned their medals to become “Reading Champions,” after a rigorous year of lessons and learning.

Group photo of the newly pronounced Reading Champions. Photo: Maya Thompson

The Reading Champions program is volunteer based and so behind every champion is an adult that they stay with throughout the entire year.

Each volunteer was given a group of kids of different reading levels and worked with them as a mentor and friend. Going on a letter system, some kids start on reading level A and some kids (by the end of fifth grade) make it to reading level Z.

Group Photo of the volunteers and Boys and Girls Club Leaders. Photo: Maya Thompson

After every year the children are given a portfolio of all the hard work they’ve done throughout the year, an exciting book to read over the summer, and a shiny gold medal to welcome them into the league of Reading Champions.

This year 45 children left this ceremony with awards and almost a dozen adult volunteers. The Girls and Boys Club hopes to have even more Reading Champions next year.

Reading Champion volunteer Joan Lowe raving to the ceremony audience about the children she was able to tutor throughout the year. Photo: Maya Thompson