Wilson, Brophy Elementary Lunch Time Reading Program Receives $2,500 Grant

The MutualOne Charitable Foundation recently awarded $2,500 to support Read to a Child, a nonprofit organization that runs a lunchtime reading program at the Wilson and Brophy elementary schools in Framingham.

The program currently serves a total of 90 Framingham students in grades 1 through 4, who struggle with literacy.

Volunteer mentors, who are each matched with a child, visit the student’s school each week throughout the academic year for one-on-one read aloud time.

According to CEO Olivia Mathews, the goals of Read to a Child are to instill a love for reading, improve listening and reading skills, increase vocabulary, develop an appreciation for stories, and foster self-esteem.

The Foundation’s recent grant brought to $7,000 the total amount it has awarded to the Read to a Child program in the two Framingham schools over the past three years.

The $2,500 Read to a Child grant was among awards totaling $43,725 in the Foundation’s most recent round of funding.

The MutualOne Charitable Foundation is a continuation of the Framingham Co-operative Bank Charitable Foundation following the 2012 merger of Framingham Co-operative Bank and Natick Federal Savings Bank.

Since it was originally established in 1998, the Foundation has donated over $2.7 million to charitable, educational, and civic initiatives that improve and enhance the quality of life in Framingham, Natick, and surrounding communities.