New York, NY, May 8 – FOX 5 Meteorologist and Feature Reporter Audrey Puente hosted Read Alliance’s 11th Annual Spring Benefit at Tribeca Rooftop. Puente was joined by more than 200 supporters of Read Alliance in raising crucial funds for the non-profit organization, which helps to shrink the achievement gap by pairing early elementary children with high school students trained to provide one-to-one tutoring in foundational reading skills.

“Our unique model employs young people to tutor their younger peers who may be struggling in reading, tackling a secondary challenge of youth unemployment, particularly among low-income, young people of color,” said Danielle Guindo, Read Alliance’s executive director. “This results in transformational change.”

In addition to having FOX 5’s Puente in the role of Benefit Host, Read Alliance’s Spring Benefit honored renowned activist, author, educator and Read Alliance Board Member Marcia Cantarella, Ph.D, daughter of civil rights leader Whitney Young. The evening also featured Read Alliance Teen Leaders and an exciting silent auction.

“My first memory of reading is that I struggled,” said Senior Teen Leader Jasmin Rodriguez. “Read Alliance has given me the opportunity to offer help that wasn’t given to me when I was younger.”

Read Alliance’s unique dual-impact model trains high school students in a proven, research-based curriculum, and then meaningfully employs them to provide individual literacy tutoring to their younger peers, preparing both populations for academic and life success. Elementary students gain an entire year’s growth in reading ability following just 30 after-school sessions with the program, which has tutored more than 15,000 students and employed more than 12,000 high school students across all five New York City boroughs since its founding in 2000.

To request a press pass and to schedule interviews with Read Alliance leadership and teen leaders, please contact Danielle Guindo at 646-867-6104 or DGuindo@readalliance.org.