Bill Bowers- Read and Feed volunteer and role model

---

“I drive a mobile classroom to the Central on the Green site location each week. I started volunteering with Read and Feed a year ago, because I wanted to make a difference in my community.

Most adults can remember at least one role model in their life that helped them become the person that they are today. For me, that was my middle school youth pastor, Brent. He was from California, had tattoos, a wallet chain and wore Vans with baggy cargo shorts. I want one of the Read and Feed students to remember me one day as a role model.

One of my favorite students is a girl named Ameliana. She is smart, and she is a great artist. I also found out that she likes a lot of the same video games that I used to play. Every week she would ask me what character I wanted her to draw, and then she would bring me a sketch.

She also learned to play an Ocarina (a type of flute) from one of her favorite video games, “The legend of Zelda”, and played songs for us. I told Ameliana that she could be a professional artist or musician if she worked hard at it.

Read and Feed gives students a place where for one hour every week they can share a common experience and connect one-on-one with a tutor that truly cares about them.”