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LONG CREEK — A children’s nonprofit literacy group is seeking volunteers at Prairie City and Long Creek schools.

SMART Reading (formerly Start Making a Reader Today) is seeking people to read with students for one hour a week. The organization is also looking for site coordinators to act as SMART on-the-ground leads at each site, overseeing and implementing weekly reading sessions.

Data collected yearly from teachers shows that 90% of students whop participate in SMART improve comprehension, vocabulary development, motivation and enjoyment, among other key metrics, according to a news release from the group.

“Volunteering with SMART Reading is a fun, meaningful way to impact kids right here in our community,” said area director Jennifer Zardinejad. “I regularly have volunteers tell me that the hour they spend at SMART is the best part of their week.”

Since 1992, SMART Reading has paired community volunteers with kids for one-on-one reading sessions and books to keep. Since its founding, SMART Reading has paired over 150,000 volunteers to read with 312,000 children and has put over 4.7 million books in the homes of the children they serve.

Call 541-797-7726 to get involved.