The Children's Dyslexia Center of Lancaster held its 18th annual Celebration of Achievement on June 5 in the Johnston Auditorium of the Lancaster Masonic Center. The 10 children graduating from the program were Lydia Grace Bortz, Emma Fletcher, Noah Hess, Samantha Hess, Bela Lytle, Cole Moran, Ava Pohlkotte, Mila Saenz, Ni'ara Scott, and Sami Snyder. More than 230 children have received services through the center since its opening in 2002.
Heather Brown, director of the center, introduced Faith Irwin, a former student of the program, to address the graduates. Irwin, who attended the center from 2007 to 2010, is now set to graduate from Millersville University in December. She shared strategies with the graduates on how to overcome struggles associated with dyslexia and some of the strategies she has utilized to help her be successful. Each graduate was given an autograph bear, the mascot adopted by the Children's Dyslexia Centers Inc., as a keepsake. Students presented words of thanks to their tutors and the Board of Governors for the services they received.
The center, sponsored by the Lancaster Lodge of Perfection of the Ancient Accepted Scottish Rite Masons, is one of six such centers in Pennsylvania providing tutoring at no charge to children from elementary through high school who fit a dyslexic profile. Children are eligible regardless of economic status or Masonic affiliation. The Orton-Gillingham approach is used as the basis for tutoring and tutor training. This method is a sequential, multisensory, phonetic approach to language.
Last year, the center enrolled about 25 children, which was fewer than in previous years due to a lack of staffing and funding. "It's been challenging raising funds since before COVID," said Brown. The center operates on a small budget that is sustained primarily through local fundraising efforts undertaken by the Lancaster Lodge of Perfection and the Board of Governors that oversees the program. "It costs over $6,000 annually per child, and it's more difficult to raise that kind of funding anymore," Brown noted. The center generally has a waitlist of about 20 children, and it usually takes one to two years before an opening is available. The center also offers free training for adults to receive certification as dyslexia practitioners.
Fundraising efforts currently include the annual W. Scott Stoner Memorial Children's Dyslexia Center Walk in September and the Extraordinary Give in November, along with a few other newer, smaller fundraisers. The center is hoping to expand its fundraising efforts in order to accommodate the increasing number of children who have a need. Dates for fundraisers can be found at http://childrensdyslexiacenteroflancaster.org or by searching for "Children's Dyslexia Center of Lancaster" on Facebook. For information about the program or how to support its mission, call 717-481-5680 or email lancaster@cdcinc.org.
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