A MESSAGE FROM Jess Runs for Dyslexia - The Road to NYC
Thank you for supporting my road to the New York City Marathon as part of Team Learning Ally. I am running and raising money in honor of my son, Rhett (pictured in red in my profile picture!), who has dyslexia. Any gift, no matter the size, is appreciated!
Why I'm Running
We have been on a journey with dyslexia since before Rhett even started pre-school. It was clear early on that he did not learn in the same way as other kids. In Catholic school, that proved to be incredibly damaging for him, as they punished him for not being able to do spelling tests like other kids in kindergarten etc. But even after we moved him to public school, it was challenging. We fought for years to get him an IEP and finally won that fight in sixth grade. Unfortunately, we quickly learned that IEPs / special education do not provide the reading tools kids with dyslexia need, especially at the middle school level.
Through middle school we tried literally everything - hybrid learning, online learning, tutoring, in person learning. It was during this time that we discovered Learning Ally. We leaned on it heavily to help Rhett access the learning in his many overwhelming and intimidating text books. It also helped him read along to books while reading for "pleasure" (although I'm not sure that term is 100% accurate even now).
We are grateful for Learning Ally in providing support during one of the most stressful periods of Rhett's educational experience. I want to make sure as many children as possible have access to the tools they need.
About Me
I'm a writer and mom of two teenagers splitting time between Big Bear and Wonder Valley, California. This experience is my personal "misogi" for 2026. This is a once-in-a-lifetime experience for me, and it's terrifying, but if you're not scaring yourself at least a little, you're not living. :)
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