September 17, 2013

Yahoo! Employee Foundation Makes a Difference in Silicon Valley

Silicon Valley is the home of some of the world’s largest technology companies and, correspondingly, some of the world’s wealthiest people. Despite all of this wealth, many people in the area continue to be economically disadvantaged. Great differences in economic status mean different opportunities for developing reading skills: according to the California Department of Education, 48% of fourth-grade Silicon Valley students read below grade level, and 20% lack even basic reading skills. Research shows that these students are four times less likely to graduate from high school than their on-grade-level peers.

In our efforts to address this issue, Reading Partners is excited to have a major supporter in the Yahoo! Employee Foundation. In addition to providing a number of volunteer tutors in our Silicon Valley school sites, our friends at the Yahoo! Employee Foundation championed a $40,000 grant for our organization. This grant will contribute to covering Reading Partners’ program and staff costs, helping to ensure that our students, volunteers, and school sites have all of the necessities for a successful 2013-14 school year.

In particular, Reading Partners would like to thank Chris Klotzbach and Atul Nayak, two Yahoo! employees who have generously donated their time to us, both as dedicated tutors and as advocates for our organization within the Yahoo! Employee Foundation. Chris and Atul led efforts within the foundation to ensure that Reading Partners received this valuable grant. Our relationship with the Yahoo! Employee Foundation demonstrates the change that large companies can make in their own backyards through the work of community-focused employees.