Tutoring children in D.C. is one of Georgetown’s most popular service activities, with over 400 students participating in programs like D.C. Reads and Sursum Corda. But for first-year student Kay Lauren Miller (CAS ‘06), fighting illiteracy did not start in college. Miller is responsible for running a non-profit organization, Reading Offers Amazing Rewards, Inc., which she founded at age fourteen. This October, Miller was nationally recognized for her work in promoting reading throughout the United States and in the developing world.
On October 28, 2002, at a ceremony held in the District, Miller received the first-ever U.S. Agency for International Development Bureau Citation for her work with literacy and reading internationally. Miller had worked with USAID previously and the citation awarded was a commendation of her contributions to foreign aid. The award recognizes volunteerism in international development.
Since founding ROAR , Miller has worked to ship books to children in Armenia, the Bahamas and other countries. Since its founding, ROAR has distributed over 60,000 books internationally.
ROAR contacts shelters and facilities and inquires if there is a need for books or the development of a library. Then ROAR collects books through drives held at schools, local businesses and women’s clubs. Monetary donations made to the organization that are used to fund shipping costs and buy books. If possible, volunteers deliver the books and help set up the facility library, otherwise the books are shipped to the shelters or sent with a facility representative, said Miller.
Miller said that she first had the idea to expand ROAR internationally while on vacation in the Bahamas.
“While I was there,” Miller said, “I saw this country in such great need of books. I realized I wanted to go into a profession to help children.”
ROAR was not able to easily find shelters within the United States that wanted donated books, and so Miller contacted Project Read in the Bahamas.
According to Miller, ROAR was able to send seven volunteers to Nassau for two weeks to tutor children and deliver 2,000 books collected through book drives and donations.
At Georgetown, Miller extends her work with children and developing literacy by volunteering through Sursum Corda, a Georgetown sponsored literacy program.
“Kay Lauren Miller has been a valuable tutor this semester,” said Sursum Corda Director John C. Hirsh, a professor in the English department. “Her work with a six-year-old emergent reader has been typical of what we try to accomplish in this program, as well as a model of good tutoring.”
Students who tutor with Miller said that she brings good qualities to the program.
“[The student] Miller tutors adores her,” Erin O’Neill (CAS ‘03) said. “She’s patient, but also bubbly and enthusiastic. Kids love to be around her.”
Currently Miller is working on starting a chapter of ROAR at Georgetown as well as developing chapters through middle schools in Illinois, Ohio and Tennessee.
