Let’s Make a Difference seeks volunteers for second-grade after-school book club Jan. 13

Let’s Make a Difference, Medina, is seeking volunteers to assist with a second-grade after-school book club starting in January 2026. The program, which will focus on helping nine second-grade students improve their reading skills, will run for six weeks on Tuesdays and Thursdays starting Jan. 13. Michelle Powell, founding director of Let’s Make a Difference, has wanted to start an after-school book club for several years. 

Powell said, “When we visited a local bookstore in the summer of 2025 with some of the children, they talked about having a book club and I knew I had to make it happen.” 

Powell reached out to several community groups, and planning began in earnest in August.

Retired second-grade teacher Meredith Morgan is volunteering her time to work with experienced Let’s Make a Difference volunteers to plan and oversee programming that is fun and educational for the students, such as story time, snacks, reading practice, craft activities, and several outings to the library and local bookstore. Let’s Make a Difference is working with Medina City Schools to select students. Volunteers who enjoy working with children and want to make a difference for at-risk readers will participate in an orientation program on Dec. 11 at the Medina Library. The orientation will review programming and activities. 

But Carol Andregg, longtime volunteer with Let’s Make a Difference, says, “The orientation is critical to preparing volunteers to respectfully engage with and help students who may come from a different socioeconomic background from themselves.”

Volunteers should have some experience with children, but formal education or being a teacher is not required. What does matter is attending the Dec. 11 orientation session as well as consistency of attendance during the book club so that the children become comfortable with adult leaders. 

Powell says, “We’d love for volunteers to be able to commit to every session for the six-week book club, but volunteers must be able to commit to at least one day a week.”

“We’ll also have three middle school students who will be participating as student mentors assisting the adult program leaders.” 

All adult volunteers will submit to a background check paid for by Let’s Make a Difference.

If you’re interested in applying, submit your interest by emailing Lisa Campbell, volunteer coordinator for Let’s Make a Difference, at lcampbell57@yahoo.com.

For more information about the Second Grade Book Club, contact Michelle Powell, founding director of Let’s Make a Difference, at 330-410-4063. Let’s Make a Difference is a 501(c)(3) charitable organization actively working with children in Medina since 2000.