[su_youtube url=”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zCTYa_NBX30 ” responsive=”no”]youtube url=”http://youtu.be/GzLcJfvbaww” width=”320″ height=”200″ responsive=”no”][/su_youtube]

All year long, caring volunteers from across Houston have been helping HISD students read by simply going online. But on May 29, students at Paige Elementary School got to meet their mentors in the flesh.

TutorMate is a web tool that allows mentors to tutor students via the internet. It was incorporated into HISD’s Read Houston Read program as a part of its Literacy By 3 initiative, which aims to have every child reading well by the end of Grade 3.

TutorMate volunteers have been working with individual students one-on-one for a half hour each week. After seeing each other for the first time, volunteers and students engaged in various reading activities.

“It’s nice on both ends,” said volunteer Allison Leedie. “The tutors really love it, because they get to see the kids and feel like they made a big difference in their lives, and the kids love it because they get to meet their tutors and get cookies.”

“We’re all raising these kids,” said Nicole Foster, another Read Houston Read mentor. “We’re a community.”