York County Reads will celebrate five years of tutoring struggling readers with a family afternoon in Tega Cay on Sunday, Nov. 15, capping a weeklong readathon that asks children to read for pledges.
The celebration runs from 1 to 5 p.m. at Maisie’s Green Brae, 2150 Gold Hill Road, and will feature games, puppet shows, local vendors and children’s activities, according to the organization’s event flyer. Money raised supports the nonprofit’s tutoring, which it provides to underserved York County children at no cost or a reduced rate.
How the readathon works
The readathon opens Sunday, Nov. 8, and closes at 5 p.m. Nov. 15, when the celebration ends. Children sign up through an online pledge page and ask relatives and friends to sponsor them, either with a flat donation or an amount for every minute read. The organization suggests pledges of 1 to 25 cents per minute and a goal of at least 20 minutes of reading a day.
The rules are loose by design. Children of any age or reading level can take part, and minutes count whether a child reads alone, reads aloud to someone, listens to an audiobook or is read to by a parent. Reading done for school counts as well. Families record minutes on an online log, and donations are encouraged but not required to participate.
Prizes will go to the children with the most minutes in four groups: prekindergarten, where minutes read to the child count, kindergarten through second grade, third through fifth grade, and sixth through eighth grade. Awards will also recognize the participant who raises the most money, the one with the most donors and children who reach their reading goal.
Admission and vendors
Admission is $5 for adults. Children ages 3 to 14 get in for $2.50 or five gently used books, and the organization says scholarships are available. Tickets are sold online through the York County Reads events page or by scanning the code on the event flyer.
Vendor spots remain open. Artisans, makers, direct sales vendors and local businesses can register for a 10 by 10 foot space for $75 through Nov. 1, the final deadline. Vendors must bring their own tent, tables and equipment, and no electricity will be available. Vendor fees also benefit the nonprofit.
A mother’s search becomes a countywide nonprofit
York County Reads traces its start to 2015, when Executive Director Lissa Felzer’s son was diagnosed with dyslexia and dysgraphia in the summer before first grade. According to the organization’s website, Felzer took him out of public school to teach him at home. Finding specialized tutors too expensive, she trained in the Orton Gillingham approach through the Institute of Multisensory Education and completed advanced training in 2016. Her son caught up to his expected reading level and then passed it.
In January 2021, Felzer and a friend launched the effort as Fort Mill Reads. It soon drew students from beyond Fort Mill, took the York County Reads name and became a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit in November 2021.
“We have grown as an organization,” Felzer said. “I feel like we have hit a good rhythm with training sessions, volunteers and a very energetic board.”
Tutors use a structured, multisensory method developed for dyslexia, though the website notes a child does not need a diagnosis to benefit. The group’s tagline, “Helping readers grow,” was chosen to be encouraging, Felzer said. “We are helping readers develop their skills, grow as readers.”
Students tutored 30 or more times improved their word attack skills, the ability to sound out unfamiliar words, by an average of 36 percent, according to the organization. The website, written as the group neared its fourth anniversary, reported more than 1,500 hours of one on one instruction for over 30 students, with 84 percent of that time provided free or at a reduced rate.
Those numbers have since climbed. “At this point we are approaching 2,200 hours at 92 percent free,” Felzer said. The program has now worked with 42 students, and 10 more are on a waiting list that she expects to grow once local parent teacher conferences are finished.
Reading scores improving, but need remains
Felzer said reading levels on state report cards and test scores have gotten substantially better since the South Carolina Department of Education began requiring elementary schools to use science based reading practices in 2024.
“However, there is still a large percentage of students that need the 1:1 attention we provide,” she said.
Ways to help
Residents who cannot attend the celebration can still support the group through volunteering, book donations or financial gifts. “All of it!” Felzer said. “I would love to get some regular monthly donors. We always need more volunteers. A book is always welcome.”
Families can register for the readathon, buy tickets or sign up as a vendor at yorkcountyreads.com/events. Questions about tutoring can go to Felzer at [email protected] or 843.343.5501.
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Thomas Hyslip lives in Tega Cay with his wife and daughter. After 27 years in the U.S. Army and Federal Law Enforcement, he retired to pursue his passion for teaching. Tom is now an Associate Professor of Instruction at the University of South Florida. In 2 short years he has won 10 awards from the South Carolina Press Association, including first place in column writing, education beat reporting and best podcast.
