Local & Community
Read With Me Volunteer Program Gives Kids the Tools to Become Stronger Readers
A Coachella Valley nonprofit is working to help young students become stronger readers, one volunteer and one book at a time.
The Read With Me Volunteer Program is one of the finalists in this year's Desert Fast Pitch, an event highlighting local nonprofits and the work they are doing throughout the community.
The program began in 2004 after volunteers approached the principal at Mecca Elementary School and asked what they could do to help students who were working to improve their reading skills and learn English.
The answer was simple: They needed volunteers.
“They said, we need you. We need your time. That's what we need,” said Erin Hyland, director of development, community engagement and volunteer recruitment for Read With Me.
Since then, the organization says volunteers have provided more than 100,000 tutoring hours in classrooms and distributed hundreds of thousands of books to children for free.
The program distributed 100,000 books last year alone.
Hyland says the organization is seeing encouraging results, with test scores showing improvements in English reading and retention.
Read With Me currently serves more than 30 schools, stretching from Desert Hot Springs to the Salton Sea.
The organization is also looking for more volunteers, books and donations.
“We are 100% donation-based,” Hyland said.
For people interested in volunteering, Read With Me is hosting an informational happy hour Monday at Giuseppe's in Palm Desert from 3:30 to 5 p.m. Volunteers can learn more about the program and find opportunities that fit their schedules.
The organization also provides transportation at many locations for volunteers who do not drive or have physical challenges.
Hyland says there are multiple ways for people to get involved, including donating books.
As Read With Me prepares for Desert Fast Pitch next week, Hyland says the goal is to make the case for continued investment in children's literacy.
The event is structured like a nonprofit version of “Shark Tank,” with organizations making their case to potential funders.
“There is no downside with an educated population with kids falling in love with reading,” Hyland said. “We love to say readers are leaders. And we want to make sure everyone gets to be that.”
By: NBC Palm Springs
September 28, 2026
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