Bonding Through Literacy With Becky & Barbara

Classroom Grandparent volunteers Rebecca and Barbara smiling together.

A shared passion for literacy and service brought Becky and Barbara together — and their impact is changing students’ lives. Through the Classroom Grandparent Program, these dedicated volunteers are helping children strengthen reading skills, build confidence, and discover their potential in the classroom. Their friendship and commitment to helping students succeed show how meaningful connections and consistent encouragement can inspire children to believe in themselves.

Our volunteers can’t wait to share their love of volunteering with others. That’s what makes them our best recruiters! This was definitely the case with Classroom Grandmas Becky and Barbara. Barbara Burnett has been a volunteer with the Classroom Grandparents Program since 2017. She is 80 years young and loves to stay active by volunteering with many different organizations and is passionate about student literacy. She knows that it is critical for students to learn to read fluently by third grade because it is a strong predictor of high school graduation.

Rebecca “Becky” Bray met Barbara at Johnson Branch Library in St. Pete where they quickly hit it off and Barbara was able to introduce her to some other volunteer opportunities like the Classroom Grandparent program. When they were both tutoring as Classroom Grandparents at Perkins Elementary, they met a shy student who didn’t like to communicate with her classmates and couldn’t read. Becky made it her mission to work with the student every day for six weeks. By the end of the summer program, this student signed up for the school’s spelling bee competition and SHE WON!

Becky expressed her extreme gratitude to Barbara for introducing her to the Classroom Grandparent program and we couldn’t agree more. We’re so lucky and proud to have Becky and Barbara back in action this school year serving as Classroom Grandmas!