Our Mission:
To improve the reading skills of Saginaw County children & spread the joy of reading.
Our Approach
Our Impact
During the 2025-2026 Fiscal Year...
313
students Engaged in READ Mentor Programs both in & out of school
4300
96%
of Raising Readers students showed improvement in their soft skills
hours spent by volunteers changing lives through literacy
37
students met twice-weekly with a volunteer tutor
41
community events attended by read staff and volunteers
Our Staff
Samantha M. Engel
President/Director
READ's Director & President, Sam, has been with the organization since January of 2024. She has her Masters degree in American History and spent 11 years working in public history and museums, earning her a wealth of experience related to nonprofit management, event and program creation, and much more. At READ, she loves seeing and hearing stories about the connections made between students and their adults. Beyond the reading, sometimes a child just needs a positive adult presence. Seeing a child excited to see their mentor or hear about the new bond a parent and child have around books highlights the value of the work she does. In her spare time, Sam enjoys reading (surprise!) and writing. In 2023, she had her first short story published. When they aren't tending the garden or walking their dog, Sam and her husband love to go hiking. As a child, Sam loved James and the Giant Peach. "I can still remember my 2nd grade teacher reading that book to our class," Sam says. She also enjoyed the Boxcar Children and Goosebumps series.Â
Abbie is the newest member of the READ team, having joined in October 2024. Prior to working at READ, she worked in health care while deciding what to do with the rest of her life. She resumed her Associate's program in 2024 and obtained her degree in Spring 2025. She uses her experience in accounting and office management to keep READ's office running smoothly in addition to handling the organization's social media and print marketing. As an avid reader and writer, having any part in READ's mission of improving children's lives through literacy is rewarding for her. When she works events and hands out books, she loves helping children pick out books by giving recommendations and getting kids excited to read. In her spare time, Abbie can be found running, lifting weights, walking and hiking with her husband and dog, and (of course) reading. Her favorite books as a kid were The Story of Ferdinand and Stone Soup. She also loved reading the Junie B. Jones series.
Abbie Pedrotte
Office Manager
Sarah has been with the READ Association for 2 years. A graduate from SVSU with her Bachelor's in Elementary Education, she brings over 20 years of experience in early education to the organization. As our RRA Coordinator, she uses her knowledge to help kids and families discover the joy of reading together. She says that the relationships she creates with the families in her program and helping children learn to love reading are the most rewarding aspects of her job. When she helps out at events, she loves seeing the smiles on children's faces when they learn that they get to keep the book they picked out from our table. In her spare time, Sarah loves to go camping, tending to her plants and garden, and reading. Her favorite book as a child was Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark and has recently been loving I Don't Want to Read This Book Aloud by Max Greenfield.
Sarah Henicle
Raising Readers Academy Coordinator
Linda Hawke
Family Literacy Center Coordinator
Linda has worked at READ since the Summer of 2023. She started off her career working in Juvenile Probation before earning her Elementary Education certificate and teaching grades ranging from PreK to 6th. After 24 years as a teacher, she "retired" for less than a month before joining the READ team. Linda loves interacting with children through her Storytime program and individually in our Barton Tutoring program. Watching the children grow their literacy skills in a multitude of ways and establishing long-term relationships with parents give a sense of purpose to her work. Parents  report that their children's teachers highlight the improved reading skills during parent-teacher conferences. "One family in particular," Linda recalls, "has been extremely appreciative of the support in getting a dyslexia diagnosis for their son." In her spare time, Linda enjoys reading, sewing, baking, and gardening. As a child growing up in Nebraska, she loved animal books and books about pioneering, particularly Charlotte's Webb and Anne of Green Gables.Â
Our Legacy
Our Board of Directors
Andrea Muladore
Social Worker, Retired
Interim Chair
​
Mimi Bell
Alchymist Publishing
Secretary
Kevin Frank, CPA
Rehmann
Treasurer
​
Lisa Tran, PhD
Saginaw Public School District
Immediate Past Chair
Samantha Engel
READ Association of Saginaw County
President/Director
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Matt W. Peterson
Team One Credit Union, retired
​
Lindsay Eggers
Stevens Van Lines
Staci Rosales
Handley School
​
Jeff McCulloch
Yeo & Yeo Computer Consulting
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Robert Boldt
Retired
Derrick Harge
Retired, City of Saginaw Fire Dept.
​
Rev. Ted McCulloch
First Presbyterian Church
​
Kylie Bos
Greenleaf Trust
​
Eric Neumeyer
My Member Insurance Agency
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Nancy Deisig
Andrews, Hooper, Pavlik, retired
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Honorary Member
Elinor Saunders