Pekin Altrusa

Happy New Year Pekin! The journey continues. There are only a few things that can compare to having an idea, moving towards making it reality, being met with obstacles, brainstorming on solutions and slowly seeing a vision come to life. It’s quite rewarding. You must know that before embarking on a journey nothing ever goes exactly how it was planned. You can anticipate certain issues and try to prevent them, but it’s important to not let challenges discourage you from moving forward. Especially the problems that hit you by surprise. Mistakes will be made. The path you take may change. Not everyone you started on the journey with will reach the destination with you, but you have to keep going. That’s life.
Not all causes are created equal in the mind of the beholders or the gatekeepers. Not all causes will get the same support. Not all not-for-profit organizations will be funded the same. This isn’t something that we all consider when approached by solicitors for donations or reading posts for giving Tuesday. However, it’s the truth. Money is scarce and there are very few people passing money out to those seeking help to change the world or serve.
The desire to make an impact in Pekin has been a journey in and of itself. Believing that something so simple as reading can improve our world for the better can be a farfetched notion to some. However, there are many others that believe this to be true. As you may know, Altrusa International of Pekin is currently working hard to bring an innovative way of tutoring and education to Pekin, IL. A portion of our After School Reading and Tutoring program was awarded grant funding by Altrusa International Foundation, Inc. For more information, please visit foundation.altrusa.org.
Our desire to create this program is like one that motivates a teacher to get up in the morning to travel in rain, sleet or snow to teach up to 30 kids that are not his/her own. That desire to go after a teaching degree in college when you’re well aware that it’s a path that won’t bring riches. That desire that a college student has who has the skills and wherewithal to solve the problems of fortune 500 companies with great rewards but chooses to teach instead. They see what we see. Children are the future. Kids in the classroom are our future managers, mayors, board members, teachers, police officers, and citizens. They will one day help run a city, state, country, nation and the world. To do so effectively, they must read and read well. The devil is in the detail of laws and agreements.
According to Illinoispolicy.org, in 2023, only 29% or 7 out of 10 third grade students could not read at their grade level based on the Illinois Assessment of Readiness test. That’s alarming. We recognize that there’s a need. Our next step is taking the program to the community. We plan to officially start January 11th 2025 in a neighborhood near you. Our collaboration not only includes the library, school district and parents, but we’re also including organizations providing housing. This will help families who struggle with transportation after school.
To help fund Pekin Altrusa’s After School Reading and Tutoring Program, send checks to: Pekin Altrusa, PO Box 3, Pekin, IL 61554.