LA GRANDE — The Reading Clinic at Eastern Oregon University received three significant grants totaling $250,220 from the Wildhorse Foundation, Ford Family Foundation and Meyer Memorial Trust.

These funds will help sustain and expand the clinic’s critical literacy programs, according to an announcement from EOU, providing teacher training and free tutoring services for children in rural Oregon.

The Wildhorse Foundation awarded a $25,220 grant to support tutor compensation and curriculum materials. This funding ensures the continuation of the Reading Clinic’s free tutoring services for children who are striving readers, first established through funding from Benedict Silverman Foundation and The Reading Institute. The tutoring clinic employs trained university  student tutors to provide individualized instruction four days per week, tailoring lessons to each child’s unique needs. Tutors work with students in schools, after-school programs, and remotely, eliminating financial and geographical barriers to literacy support.

“Rural communities often lack access to high-quality literacy intervention programs,” said Ronda Fritz, director of the EOU Reading Clinic. “Thanks to the Wildhorse Foundation’s generosity, we can continue offering evidence-based tutoring to continue helping children reach reading proficiency faster.”

During the 2023-24 academic year, Meyer Memorial Trust awarded the EOU Reading Clinic $75,000 and most recently awarded an additional $140,000 through its Our Empowered Youth project to further expand teacher training and tutor services. The majority of these funds have been and will continue to offer training to teachers, paraprofessionals, and administrators in rural areas outside of the local community. Some of the funds will be set aside to expand high-dosage tutoring services across the eastern Oregon region.

The Ford Family Foundation awarded $10,000 to bolster teacher training and direct tutoring services. Since its founding in 2021, the Reading Clinic has trained more than 300 teachers across seven rural Oregon counties in effective literacy instruction methods. Each educator undergoes hands-on mentorship in literacy assessment and instructional strategies, ensuring they are equipped to support students in their classrooms. Ford Family Foundation’s grant helps sustain this vital support.

In addition to the teacher training first established in 2021, the clinic has expanded its direct services to striving readers with support from each of these organizations. Under the direction of Jessica Hagedorn, the clinic’s director of Tutor Services, in the 2023-24 academic year alone, the Reading Clinic provided more than 3,300 one-on-one tutoring sessions to 173 students — all for free. The EOURC Tutoring Clinic is on track to serve a similar number of students during the 2024-25 academic year, according to the college.

“Data shows tremendous progress for the striving readers we serve. In addition, something that can’t be quantitatively measured is the human impact of our EOU students investing this time and their talents into children within our communities,” Hagedorn said. “These children are not only being supported with effective reading instruction but are also making daily connections with role models from communities just like theirs.”

“These grants directly impact the lives of children and educators across Eastern Oregon,” Fritz said. “We believe literacy is the key to breaking cycles of poverty, improving health outcomes, and fostering engaged communities. With this funding, we can continue making a difference.”

Find out more about the Eastern Oregon University Reading Clinic at www.eou.edu/reading-clinic or contact rfritz@eou.edu.