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Coffee and Learning Ally Audiobooks

Categories: Activities, Assistive Technology, Disability Type, Giving, Learning Disabilities, Parenting

By guest blogger, Anthony Anastacio of Anthony's Italian Coffee and Chocolate House

Anthony Anastacio and FamilyWe are inspired by the resilience and determination of our 10-year-old daughter who has successfully learned to read using Learning Ally’s educational solutions.  Despite being diagnosed with dyslexia in kindergarten, our daughter struggled with learning to read by being taught with ineffective reading programs in school for years. After receiving the proper programs, with the proper implementation and consistent classroom accommodations, our daughter has overcome dyslexia, learning to successfully read, just like many other children with dyslexia when given the proper tools. Yet many simply are not afforded that opportunity.  

As a father, it hurt so much to see my very smart child struggle to read.  My wife and I  did everything we could to help our daughter reach her educational goals.   We really felt like no one was listening to us, as we watched her falling through the cracks of a failing educational system. That is when we took matters into our own hands. My wife and I decided to move our child out of public school and into a Catholic school that used different learning styles to accommodate every child’s learning needs.   We also discovered Learning Ally educational tools and resources and now we can’t get our daughter to stop reading. We truly are grateful for Learning Ally and now we see our daughter reading, learning, and socializing regarding the books she's reading in class.  Her self-esteem and confidence levels have increased significantly since using Learning Ally and we really couldn’t ask for a better feeling. 

Image of the Italian Coffee House ChocolatesAs a small business owner, my wife and I thought maybe we can help give back to an organization that has done so much for our family.  As most of you know dyslexia is the #1 learning disability in our schools, impacting nearly 20% of our students.  Yet many students continue to be misidentified and misdiagnosed because dyslexia is misunderstood still today. We now know that students can overcome dyslexia with the proper reading programs and classroom accommodations.  With 1 in 5, odds are you or someone you know has dyslexia...they're our children, our family and our friends. The mind of people with dyslexia are the most creative and innovative and they are often the hardest working, most resilient people you know.  Children with dyslexia have inspired us to create the Coffee for a Cause campaign.  A campaign honoring and supporting even more students struggling with dyslexia to read using Learning Ally educational tools and services.
  
Our 2018 Goal is to raise $13,500 for 100 children who are dyslexic, to gain access to Learning Ally’s audiobook solution for one full year.  We created a special coffee blend for 2018, Caffe di Causa, a full-bodied coffee, yet smooth with finishing notes of dark chocolate and roasted nuts.  This coffee is symbolic of the Inca Empire, whose people devised unconventional ways to achieve success and thrive, despite lacking many of the tools associated with civilization during that time period.
 
Sales from this Coffee Blend will benefit Children with Dyslexia, who are often denied the specific tools in learning to read, yet find ways to achieve success.  Approx. $2.35 from the sale of each pound will be donated to Learning Ally.  If you prefer to support our fundraiser and get us to our goal even faster, please make your best gift today!
 


Are you doing extraordinary things in support of students who struggle to read? Send us an email at allkidscanread@learningally.org and we'll help to spread the word.


About Learning Ally

Learning Ally is a leading nonprofit ed-tech organization delivering a comprehensive learning solution for struggling readers in elementary, middle and high schools. Our proven solution includes the most extensive library of human-read audiobooks that students want and need to read both at home and at school. This reading experience helps accelerate learning, enables a new level of access to knowledge and powerfully increases confidence and self-belief.

Learning Ally empowers over 240,000 students with improved comprehension, vocabulary, fluency and critical thinking skills. For over 70 years, we have helped transform the lives of struggling readers by bridging the gap between their reading capability and their academic potential as they confidently become lifelong learners who thrive in school and beyond.

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