Someone once told Hannah McRae Young that it takes 100 hours of one-on-one reading with a child for the concept to click. Realizing not everyone was as fortunate as she to have a home where reading was given priority, Young’s mind started doing flips. Coupled with the need to “find a service project I could be committed to,” Young, 15, created CheeReaders in October 2008. CheeReaders is a combination of Young’s most-loved interests. Besides her reading hobby, Young cheers at East Forsyth High School and competitively with Cheer Extreme. CheeReaders organizes local cheerleaders’ visits to elementary schools, where they wear their cheer uniforms and read to children in kindergarten through second grade. “The goal is to get the child to eventually read to the cheerleader,” she explains.

Young reads at Cash Elementary school every week, and also coordinates which cheerleaders go to which schools. On August 22, Young will host the first CheeReaders Summer Camp, where she hopes to enthuse 150 up-and-coming readers.

Young says she believes CheeReaders can someday be nationwide, and her inspired idea has already garnered support from the Universal Cheerleaders Association.

“They get so excited when I walk through the door,” she says of local special-needs students. “Their teacher says they get totally engaged when I read to them.” Now that’s something to cheer about.

For more information, or to register for camp, go to cheereader.com.