When education, mentorship, and community come together, they create something truly powerful. Our recent partnerships with University School (US) and the student-led group Youth Serve CCIS brought high school students and young scholars together through the transformative experience of reading.
This initiative was developed by Charlie Martin, a junior at University School, in collaboration with ODA’s Director of Engagement, Joe Hollings. Inspired by volunteers from St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Cleveland Heights, who have long supported our summer camp scholars through one-to-one reading sessions, Charlie sought to create a meaningful way for high school students to engage with ODA scholars.
With the support of US faculty member Dr. Tyler Yoder, Charlie led a group of nine students who read books with ODA scholars, shared stories, and formed meaningful connections. But his efforts didn’t stop there. As a leader in Youth Serve CCIS, Charlie worked alongside co-founders Jack Nelson and Valentina Dickens to organize another trip to ODA.
Youth Serve CCIS, a student-led group representing five Cleveland Council of Independent Schools (CCIS) member schools, is dedicated to making service engaging, impactful, and accessible to students.
"Each month, we highlight different themes, and for January, we focused on literacy," Charlie explained. "I advocated for ODA to be one of the nonprofits we support because I knew how important this would be—not just for the younger kids, but for us too. Reading together builds bonds and opens doors to conversations we wouldn’t have otherwise."
More Than Reading: Building Meaningful Connections
Beyond the academic benefits, these partnerships emphasize mentorship. High school students take on leadership roles, while ODA scholars receive encouragement from students just a few years ahead of them.
"It was amazing to see the older kids genuinely care about the little ones," said Kyra Cutsail, an ODA Campus Coordinator at Breakthrough Cliffs Campus. "I had a group of kindergarteners echo-reading aloud with their mentors. That’s something they don’t always get to do in a full group setting, and you could see how much they loved it."
For the high school students, the experience was just as meaningful.
"When Charlie brought up ODA as a place for us to volunteer, we knew it was a perfect fit," said Valentina Dickens, a junior at Gilmore Academy and co-founder of Youth Serve CCIS. "Service is about more than just helping—it’s about forming connections. This type of event, where we’re working face-to-face with kids, is what inspires people to keep coming back."
Thank You to Our Partners
A heartfelt thank you to Charlie, Dr. Yoder, University School students Donald Eghobamien, Theo Walter, Theo Dengler, Anshul Sharma, Ethan Chan, Sammy Armanazi, and Andrew Zbarzh, Youth Serve CCIS members Trevor Bilant, Mackenzie Schmitt, Thomas Daly, Patrick Annichine, Valentina DiCenso, Jack Nelson, and Jack’s mom, along with the US and CCIS staff who made this partnership possible.
Get Involved
Do you know an organization that would like to partner with ODA? We’d love to hear from you! Reach out to Daa'iyah Rahman, Engagement Manager, at drahman@odacle.org to get connected. Let’s continue making a difference, together.
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This article is a part of the March 2025 PINC Newsletter. To read more articles from this newsletter, click here or the button below.
