A volunteer appreciation tea will be held at 3:00 p.m. on April 25 at the Bethesda North Marriott to honor the more than 650 volunteers who have tutored children in reading this year through the Ruth Rales Comcast Kids Reading Network. The program is made possible through a partnership among the RFI Foundation, Comcast of Montgomery County, and Montgomery County Public Schools.

The Reading Network is a one-on-one tutoring program that helps more than 800 Grade 2 students in 56 high-poverty schools learn to read fluently. On average, students in the program have shown gains of at least one grade level in reading fluency and comprehension by program completion.

The program’s success is due, in part, to the quality of books and materials provided and to the ongoing training the tutors receive. Each tutorial session follows a scripted format so that tutors and students know what to expect and can move comfortably through each lesson. The progress made by students is monitored weekly with the assistance of school-based teachers who serve as program coordinators.

Among the attendees at the Volunteer Appreciation Tea will be Dr. Charles Haughey, president of the Board of Education; Dr. Jerry D. Weast, superintendent of schools; Steven Silverman, member of the County Council; Joshua Rales, president of the RFI Foundation; and Dianne Gilbert, area manager of community relations for Comcast of Montgomery County.