Reading is Fundamental. Read to Achieve. Reading Rainbow. One Book One Texas. Oprah’s Book Club. Many of us are familiar with these programs that, over the years, have celebrated reading, motivated us to read and woven reading into the fabric of our everyday lives. Reading is the foundation of education. Without it, one cannot understand the basics of math, science, or history, or even expect to manage any aspect of advanced logic. Reading opens the doors to life. That is why students must learn to read!

A vast majority of our Houston public school children are living in single parent households headed by women; as a result, our students’ male role models are frequently gleaned from videos and television programs. They need real men after which to model their lives. These factors provide the impetus for the Real Men Read program. In the program’s pilot year, for one hour a month, Key Middle School is recruiting MENtors for our seventh grade classrooms to read to our students.

The Real Men Read volunteers can be lawyers, firemen, accountants, doctors, policemen, custodians, entrepreneurs, executives, college students, bankers, artists, or any positive male role model. They are economically and racially diverse. They understand that a child who reads becomes an adult who succeeds. They are men who want to make a difference. They are you and me.

Interested gentlemen should complete a MENtor application and follow the instructions for submission. Because MENtors will be interacting directly with students, they will also need to register through Volunteers in Public Schools.