From The Chair

By Mark Slavkin

It is with a great deal of pride that I sit down to write my last column for the KOREH L.A. newsletter. The program has achieved so much for children across Los Angeles and I have felt honored to be a part of it. As I step down from my duties as chair, I am pleased to welcome Allan Cutrow. He will bring a fresh perspective and help secure new financial resources to sustain and grow this wonderful program.

I want to express my heartfelt appreciation to each of you who have contributed to the success of KOREH L.A., especially our volunteers who walk into a public school every week, tote bag in hand. Your efforts are changing young lives for the better. I have been honored to serve with a wonderful group of people on the KOREH Task Force, many of whom have been involved since day one. Their passionate commitment and hands-on involvement have been vital for the success of this effort. Gary and Karen Winnick were there at the start to help get KOREH off the ground. The program would not have survived without their generous and visionary investment.

I want to extend special thanks to Elaine Albert and Michelle Kahen. KOREH L.A. was truly an experiment when we began. Elaine and Michelle have taken the seed of an idea and turned it into one of the most important literacy programs in our community. KOREH L.A. has evolved from "the new kid on the block" to a real leader in this field. When we began, we hoped to recruit a cadre of volunteers from the Jewish community to become reading partners for young students struggling to learn to read. We had some reservations about whether we would find people willing to make this commitment for a whole school year. Today, we have grown that original pool to include volunteers reflecting the wonderful diversity of Los Angeles, including many high school students who are participating in KOREH as part of their school community service projects. Further, we have many volunteers who come back year after year. Their common refrain is "I get more out of the experience than I give."

KOREH L.A. has been innovative in exploring new strategies to complement our core focus on one-on-one reading partners. Thanks to the generosity of Toyota Motor Sales, USA and many other donors, we have raised funds to buy new books for the neediest elementary school libraries. Pre-K KOREH has brought community volunteers to local pre-schools to foster a love of reading among younger children. KOREH L.A. developed an exciting partnership with the Museum of Contemporary Art Downtown to connect high school volunteers and elementary students to the dynamic show on Jean Michel Basquiat.

I see a very positive future ahead for KOREH L.A. The next phase of our growth should focus on securing a stable and sustainable financial future. We have established our value, our credibility, and our impact through these early years. Now we need to build the infrastructure to take the program to the next level and make sure this vital resource will be around many years from now to serve the next generation of kids in need. They deserve no less.