If the children of today are tomorrow’s future, one Carbondale program is doing what they can to offer them the best one possible.

The “I Can Read!” program is an all-volunteer program for all elementary students, kindergarten through fifth grade. The program is designed to help young students learn how to read and strengthen reading skills.

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Marilyn Tipton, the fundraising chair for “I Can Read!,” said it was decided five years ago that a fundraiser was needed because they are strictly based on volunteers and donations.

“Some kids have a really hard time reading and the one-on-one that they are getting from us helps them open up, we’ve had plenty of kids who leave our programs knowing how to read,” Tipton said.

Margaret Nesbitt, co-founder of the program, said since the program was established in 1999, they have had a growing number of children that attend the program on a daily basis.

“Today it has become a necessity to learn and know how to read,” she said. “Our theory is that if a child can read, as adults they can establish themselves to be someone, because to be a functional citizen in this country you must know how to read and that’s what we want to do for these kids”

Lewis Stafford, information technology volunteer for the program, said Margaret is showing the community she cares by doing her best to bring in funds to the program.

The event incorporated a silent auction into the fundraising efforts. The attendees were able to bid on items donated by local donors.

“The fundraiser is made to help us service the students, there are things that we need to provide the students with that we can’t pay for,” Nesbitt said. “We provide the kids with snacks, books to read and we like to take them on field trips to get them out more.”

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Charles Simon, co-founder of “I Can Read!” and donor to the program, said during the time when he and his sister (Margaret) were growing up, they did not have the luxury of having an education like the students of today.

“This is an amazing program and I love where it is going with these kids,” he said. “Me and my sisters learned how to read and write by going to Sunday school.”

Since the program was established 14 years ago, the Carbondale community and the SIU College of Education have always supported them.

Nesbitt said “I Can Read!” is all volunteer based and the city pays for the space that they are using and the College of Education always has students who come to help out with the student.

“I wish more people like myself would volunteer with these kids more, because having the ability to know how to read is an important part of life,” Stafford said “the fundraiser shows people what the “I Can Read!” program can truly bring to the table.”

Charinder Thompson can be reached at

[email protected]

or 453-3311 ext. 268.