Katie Martin, a Reading Partners site coordinator who completed her second year of AmeriCorps service in Dallas, Texas, will be honored by the OneStar Foundation with an AmeriCorps “Make a Difference” award for her service and contributions to Charles Rice Learning Center, her students, and the Dallas community.
President and CEO of OneStar Foundation, Elizabeth Darling, said the winners were “stellar examples of the good that can be found in all of us when we become engaged in solutions to social challenges.”
Katie joined Reading Partners in 2013, serving as the inaugural site coordinator for Charles Rice Elementary–a new school partner for Reading Partners Dallas. By the end of the year Katie had built one of Reading Partners’ most successful reading centers in Dallas. Over 90% of the students enrolled in Reading Partners at Charles Rice narrowed their reading achievement gap while in the program.
If you ask Katie for the secret to her success with the students at Charles Rice, she will credit the hard work and positive attitude of her wonderful students and tutors. She’ll say, “those students inspired me to put all of my energy into helping them succeed.” Katie’s passion for her students, her respect for their reading partners, and commitment their combined success is undeniable.
Prior to Reading Partners Katie served as an Americorps member with City Year, where she worked in a local middle school as an English Language Arts (ELA) tutor. One student in particular sparked her passion for early childhood education. He’d worked hard and had a lot of spirit, but really struggled with reading, “He was a very funny kid, but behind his smile was disappointment,” said Katie. Working with this student every day, Katie thought “what if someone had reached out to him when he was younger?”
Since completing her second year of AmeriCorps service, Katie has returned to school to earn a dual masters in social work and public affairs. She plans to become an advocate in the education reform space. Advocating for equal access to quality education for kids in low-income schools.
Congrats on all of your success Katie!
Katie and the other winners will be honored at a ceremony on September 17, 2014, in Austin with their invited guests and the OneStar Foundation Board.
OneStar Foundation was created to support the State of Texas by strengthening the nonprofit sector, encouraging civic engagement through service and volunteering, promoting innovative strategies to address local issues and facilitating public-private partnerships to expand the reach of the sector. For more information, visit onestarfoundation.org.
