When COVID-19 hit, STAIR (Start the Adventure in Reading) Executive Director Shannon McCloskey Able and her staff took action to keep this program going.
Able’s philosophy with her community work — and in this challenging situation – was, “I don’t see obstacles. I see opportunities. There is always another way of accomplishing something. We just have to be willing to help and to try.”
STAIR (stairnola.org) has been providing one-on-one literacy tutoring for 2nd and 3rd grade students in the greater New Orleans area since 1985. The group’s mission is to improve the reading skills and self-esteem of lower elementary students.
Every child should have the chance to thrive and that starts with building a solid literacy foundation to propel future success”
During the pandemic, STAIR revamped its curriculum and pivoted to virtual tutoring.
“We delivered books to homes. We provided recorded read-out-loud videos and prepared literacy packets for students,” says Able. “We found ways to continue providing support to our students,” she adds.
These included new programming such as STAIR Adventures, which are reading field trips; STAIR Impact, quarterly sessions to support guardians and parent; and Read for Joy, one-on-one reading buddies to complete literacy-related activities.
Able shared a transformational success story about a STAIR parent who had no idea what to do and nowhere to turn about their son, who hated school and wouldn’t touch a book.
“A teacher suggested STAIR and she enrolled her son. After hours of tutoring one-on-one with an adult, he is now reading on grade level,” Able says. “He is excited to go to school and raises his hand to read aloud in class. The mom gave me the biggest hug. I cried. I will never forget the feeling,” says Able. “When your child is struggling, you feel it in every part of your body. She knew her child couldn’t be successful in life if he couldn’t read.”
Part of the STAIR program now includes students keeping every book they read since many of them don’t have home libraries.
“When handing out materials at the beginning of a semester — a large white box of books, workbooks and school supplies — a mother asked when she needed to return the materials. I explained that STAIR was investing in her child. This was a gift. Nothing needed to be returned,” says Able.
“The tears flowed down her cheeks. She said, ‘We don’t have any books in our home. This is amazing.’ When she got home, she texted me a picture of her child holding all the books and smiling.”
Growing up in New Orleans, Able was surrounded by “family members who volunteered their time in various ways and led local businesses and nonprofit organizations.”
Her mother was a member of the Junior League of New Orleans (JLNO) and president of the Isidore Newman School Parents Association and is now its school’s archivist; her father was president of the Carrollton Boosters.
Years later, Able herself would become active in the JLNO, and her husband, Patrick Able, would serve on the Carrollton Boosters board. Their three children — Sydney, Madison and P.J. — have enjoyed soccer, flag football, softball and
baseball at Carrollton Boosters at The Fly.
Able also credits her years attending Newman, which “was training me for volunteerism through leadership, caring for your community, and cultivating relationships,” she says.
She continued volunteering when she attended University of Georgia, from which she graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism, Public Relations and a focus in Business Management. After graduation she worked in Atlanta and continued to volunteer for organizations.
But the lure of New Orleans couldn’t keep Able and her husband away and they returned just before Hurricane Katrina.
“It was gut-wrenching and yet I saw the best in people and how many people who didn’t live here loved and treasured our city,” she says. “I thought to myself, if people who didn’t live here could help us, I could do more too.”
In addition to STAIR, Able dedicated herself to the JLNO. “I will always support JLNO because I believe in empowering women and I was so honored to work alongside the remarkable group of JLNO women — working professionals, business owners, and moms giving so generously of their time and talent.”
She also is a supporter of the American Cancer Society and other cancer fighting organizations.
“Giving back and helping make our community a better place has always been important to me,” she says. “And, as a mother of three, I want my children to see the positive impact that one person can make.”
Able also believes that by working together “we can accomplish more and solve the issues facing our city. It takes faith-based, small and large nonprofits in every facet of life. We just all have to be willing to help — everyone has something to give [be it] time, talent or treasure.”
Able says her hometown New Orleans is unique in so many wonderful ways, with its culture, landscape, cuisine and people.
“New Orleans and its people have given me more than I can ever give back. I will continue to do what I can to make New Orleans better for all of us,” she says. “There are so many good people doing great things, I know I can do more,” she adds.
In November, she resigned from STAIR because she became COO of RCC Flooring, a commercial flooring company her and her husband purchased.
STAIR will still be in her heart. “My ultimate goal is to continue giving back to our city and maybe someday have a foundation that will allow me to contribute more to our community,” says Able, who will remain as an advisor to STAIR.
“I believe that every child should have the chance to thrive and that starts with building a solid literacy foundation to propel future success,” says Able.
“Helping even one child is important. STAIR has helped almost 10,000. It is not about the vast number of children that STAIR has helped. It is about the individual child. The child that now has confidence, the foundation for educational success, and the hope for a brighter future.”
