About Us…
Changing Student Futures
All Students Deserve Quality Reading Intervention Regardless of Age or Zip Code
By training volunteer tutors and matching them with students who are struggling readers, we are impacting reading scores. Reading scores are very low across America, but some zip codes are impacted more than others. This is an educational injustice we can do something about. Our society demands that adults read and perform well enough to carry out daily life tasks, yet many students are lost when it comes to reading. Adult non-readers share their thoughts about reading:
“It's hard to learn how to read.”
“It makes you feel like wanting to give up.”
“It doesn’t make any sense.”
“It feels like a dark room.”
“It’s my fault!”
“They used to throw the book at me and tell me to read it, and I didn't know what in the world I was supposed to do with it. In the classroom, nobody took the time or was patient with me to explain exactly how to read. They expected me to get it and I didn't.”
Hear From Our Tutors
Meet Robin, our Executive Director:
B.S. Ed. - English, yet never heard “dyslexia” in any of her college classes
Married a dyslexic and had two dyslexic kids
Witnessed the obvious strengths of her family members - intelligence, creativity, empathy, curiosity, big picture problem solvers
Scoured reading curriculums, practiced trial and error for years
Found an Orton-Gillingham program in 2008 that works with students of all ages while working at a learning center charging top dollar for the program
Lived and worked in north city St. Louis where several neighbor kids struggled without hope of help because they couldn’t afford it & began tutoring for free on Sunday afternoons
Free tutoring sessions worked! Hope Education was born in 2011
Hope Education became its own nonprofit in 2022
In 2023, Robin shifted to using Linguistic Phonics (also know as Speech to Print) instruction because it was less of a cognitive load and less time consuming for students.
Ja’Markeo, Robin’s first Sunday tutoring student, was able to come more frequently. He made it through high school and into college. The work continued, teaching students of all ages to read. In 2016 Robin met a 78-year-old lady - Ms. G. Her fearless approach to life as a nonreader inspired Robin to keep pursuing new ways to keep getting this excellent program into the hands of students who couldn’t afford it. Ms. G used a bunch of reading hacks that allowed her to get through her everyday life. She spoke up at school board meetings and urged them to rethink their reading programs, telling them that though she graduated she couldn’t read. Ms. G encouraged everyone who came to Hope Education to try their hardest, never hiding her own weaknesses and always inspiring hope. Teaching hundreds of students to make progress on their reading goals has taught Robin so much about the hidden strengths of each student. While our society equates reading and intelligence, Robin learned that idea couldn’t be more wrong.
Board Members
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President
Sarah Stiger is the acting Board of Directors President for Hope Education. Her passions include growing organizations, problem-solving, and dreaming. One of her dreams is equal accessibility for all students to learn to read based on individual needs. She became involved with Hope Education in 2017 as a volunteer reading tutor when one of her own kids started in the reading program. She personally benefited from Orton-Gilliingham reading training as a child and now has successfully advocated for her children to have access to fair and appropriate reading and accomodations in their local public school. Sarah graduated with High Honors from Cornerstone University receiving her Bachelors of Arts in Business Marketing and receiving various scholarships in academics, leadership, and music. She works as an Independent Sales Director with Mary Kay Inc leading a multi-state team and has received several career achievement awards including the use of 3 iconic pink Cadillacs. She lives in Plymouth, IN with her husband, three children and dog. She loves spending time with her family whether attending their sporting events, music concerts, or vacationing together. She is also actively involved with her church family.
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Treasurer
Michelle Puzach is the acting Treasurer for Hope Education’s Board of Directors. Michelle’s passions have always included education and helping others. She became involved with Hope Education in 2014 as a volunteer tutor, working with students needing reading help and ACT prep. Her favorite subject is Mathematics. She is a 2010 Summa Cum Laude graduate from Missouri University of Science and Technology, receiving her B.S. in Architectural Engineering and serving in various volunteer and leadership roles, including President of Chi Omega. She is a licensed Professional Engineer and works as a Cost Engineer for the US Army Corps of Engineers in St. Louis. She lives in Des Peres, MO with her husband, Steve, and their three children. When she is not working or spending quality time at home with her family, Michelle enjoys traveling and reading!
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Secretary
Amy’s professional history spans a wide variety of teaching and leadership positions. Amy currently tutors several students through Hope Education in St. Louis, Missouri, with a focus on English language and reading development. Her prior experience includes working as Director of Preschool Ministries in Hoover, Alabama, where she was responsible for administration of weekday care and education for over 100 children. In this role Amy led a staff of 30 teachers, coordinators, and volunteers. She has also taught private music lessons and conducted group lessons to children as a licensed Kindermusik instructor. Amy’s lifelong passion for the instruction of youth has impacted many lives, including her 3 children and a grandson with special needs. She and her husband Ricardo live in Hoover, Alabama.
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