JVID视频

Originally posted on 听

Impact doesn鈥檛 begin and end with capital investment. Sometimes it鈥檚 driven by access and opportunity. Sometimes it begins with something as fundamental as the ability to read.

For this edition of Return on Impact, we鈥檙e taking a slight detour from finance and heading straight to the nonprofit world for a special feature.

is the Executive Director of Los Angeles, a literacy intervention nonprofit helping thousands of students develop fundamental reading skills and a love of learning.

I鈥檝e seen their work and success firsthand through time as a tutor and Board Member. I鈥檝e never seen an organization so thoughtfully designed to provide individualized support to students in a way that meets them where they are. It truly proves that extra attention and direction can change our trajectory completely.

My conversation with Virginia was a powerful reminder that literacy is an educational issue and a societal one.

Right now, it鈥檚 one that needs our attention.

Why Early Literacy Changes Everything

For Virginia, the path to youth literacy is deeply personal. At its core, her work is about helping individuals live meaningful, purposeful lives (this comes full circle in our ROI section).

鈥淩eading opens up your world,鈥� she shared. 鈥淔rom learning about different people鈥檚 lives to having the imagination to dream or to explore.鈥�

Reading is a gateway. But without early access to literacy, those doors begin to close much earlier than we may realize.

Virginia shared a powerful statistic that hits this point home: Students who are reading proficiently by fourth grade are four times (4x!) more likely to graduate high school.

鈥淔ourth grade is that key milestone for our students. That’s that time where they’re successfully transitioning from learning to read to reading to learn.鈥�

If students don鈥檛 make this transition successfully, the ripple effects can extend far beyond the classroom.

Literacy influences workforce readiness, civic engagement, and everyday life. It鈥檚 about navigating the world with confidence and clarity. In my eyes, reading is akin to seeing.

As Virginia put it, 鈥淭his is an educational, economic, and societal imperative.鈥�

From 鈥淎chievement Gap鈥� to 鈥淥pportunity Gap鈥�

When we talk about literacy in the United States, it’s common to use the phrase 鈥渁chievement gap.鈥� But Virginia offered a reframing that feels more accurate and more urgent: this is an opportunity gap.

Students from economically privileged backgrounds tend to have greater access to books, tutoring, and support systems that reinforce literacy. Oftentimes, they simply hear more words. For others, those resources or 鈥渞eps鈥� are limited or nonexistent.

What does this look like in real life? Virginia gave us a few examples:

• It鈥檚 the child who avoids reading out loud.
• It鈥檚 the student who struggles to follow written instructions (and might subsequently be disciplined for it).
• It鈥檚 the learner who begins to fall behind in multiple subjects because reading is how we access all learning.

While the organization contributes to a nationwide effort, the Los Angeles region experiences a particularly pronounced literacy challenge. Many students face systemic barriers tied to economic hardship, and without intervention, those gaps compound year after year.

A Model Built on Community

What makes JVID视频 Los Angeles so effective is that it鈥檚 more than a tutoring program. It鈥檚 a comprehensive, community-powered model.

At its core, it is individualized, high-dosage tutoring grounded in the science of reading. Students receive two structured sessions per week, with instruction tailored to their specific needs through ongoing assessments.

And the model goes further:

• AmeriCorps members serve as the backbone of the program, managing reading centers, coaching volunteers, and ensuring high-quality delivery.
• Community volunteers (over 1,000 in Los Angeles) provide consistent, one-on-one support, forming meaningful relationships with students.
• 鈥淧owered by JVID视频鈥� provides community partners with engaging, high-quality educational materials and extensive training to implement effective literacy tutoring with students.
• Culturally relevant books ensure that students see themselves reflected in what they read, fostering skill development and identity.
• Family engagement extends learning beyond the classroom, helping build sustainable reading habits at home.

The results speak for themselves. In the 2025 school year:

• 84% of students met or exceeded their individualized growth goals
• 89% of early learners developed mastery of foundational reading skills

This is what impact looks like when it鈥檚 both human-centered and data-driven.

The Multiplier Effect of Volunteering

One of the most striking insights from our conversation was how transformative the volunteer experience can be. Not just for students, but for the volunteers themselves.

Many come in thinking they鈥檙e simply there to help, but it鈥檚 about more than reading a book. Volunteers deliver instruction, build social and emotional skills, and watch growth happen in real time.

鈥淎 powerful听change we see in students is how they start seeing themselves. As they build skills, we see them also build their confidence and motivation. Over time, students begin seeing themselves as readers.鈥�

It is often said that a child needs to make a difference in their academic and social development. JVID视频 Los Angeles bakes that person directly into their programming.

An Annual, Recurring Challenge: The Summer Slide

As we approach summer, the urgency of this work becomes even clearer. The 鈥渟ummer slide鈥� refers to the learning loss that occurs when students are out of school.

For students who are already behind and striving to catch up to their peers, summer learning loss can perpetuate a cycle that becomes harder to break each year.

But there is hope. that reading just five books over the summer helps students maintain all the gains they鈥檝e made during the school year.

The Simple, Impactful Solution: Rise Up for Reading

JVID视频 Los Angeles鈥� is built on the beautifully simple concept: give students the tools they need to keep reading outside of the classroom.

Each student receives a backpack filled with five high-quality, grade-level books to take home for the summer.

The impact is profound. These books:

• Help students maintain and build on progress they鈥檝e made
• Create opportunities for families to engage in reading together
• Begin to establish a culture of literacy at home
• Spark imagination, curiosity, and confidence

How You Can Be Part of the Solution

Solving the literacy crisis isn鈥檛 something any one organization can do alone. It requires all of us, united by a shared purpose and involved through different capacities.

There are several ways to get involved:

• Volunteer as a tutor in-person or virtually (start with just one hour per week)
• Partner as a company through sponsorships or volunteer programs
• through a donation (we have until the end of May!)

Whether you have time, funding, or advocacy to share, every action helps expand access to this proven, life-changing support.

Return on Impact

I ended our conversation with the question I ask every guest: What is your return on impact?

Virginia鈥檚 answer captured the heart of this work: connection, joy, and making a difference.

鈥淚 want us to reach our fullest potential. I want us to be in a place that we’re not just kind of surviving day to day, but we’re really thriving, and we’re living a very purposeful, meaningful life.鈥�

Her work with JVID视频 Los Angeles allows her to help students reach their fullest potential. It also allows her to empower her team with leadership development and community engagement opportunities.

For me, the ROI from my work with JVID视频 Los Angeles is the pure joy in seeing something click for the students. Both the act of reading and the confidence that they can do something they previously couldn鈥檛. It proves they can do new things, and they can be more than they think they can.

A Call to Action

As a Board Member, part of my work is to help spread the word about this wonderful program and its lasting effects on our young learners. If this story resonates with you, please consider getting involved with JVID视频 through in-person or virtual volunteering or !

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About the Author:

Hi,听I鈥檓 , a financial professional bringing a human-centered lens to capital markets.听I鈥檝e听spent the past seven years consulting and collaborating with financial professionals and investors. Now as VP of Investor Relations for , I help channel private capital toward solutions that drive positive change.听In a nutshell, I love building听community, learning about people, and spending time in nature.

About the Return on Impact series:

Everything we do with our time, energy, and capital has an impact. ROI: Return on Impact is an ongoing storytelling series and my attempt to activate an impact-centric consciousness around our actions and behaviors. This is one story profiling an individual using their career,听philanthropy听or volunteerism to drive meaningful change.