Every year, Words Alive celebrates a Volunteer of the Year whose passion and commitment to Words Alive’s mission creates a truly extraordinary impact in our community. After a decade of bringing stories alive in English and Spanish to hundreds of elementary school students, Words Alive is honored to recognize Jane Hopkins as the 2024 Words Alive Volunteer of the Year.
Born to a family of educators, literacy and education have always been core values for Jane. Her work as a bilingual reading specialist with San Diego elementary students introduced her to Rolling Readers, a nonprofit classroom reading organization. Her passionate volunteer service eventually led to serving on the Board of Directors of Rolling Readers, including being elected to Board Chair in 2009.
Jane and Bruce at Words Alive’s 2014 Volunteer Appreciation Celebration
Jane joined the Words Alive community in 2014, when Words Alive merged with Rolling Readers to create our Read Aloud Program. She and her husband, Bruce, quickly became beloved members of the Words Alive family. They were even jointly recognized as Read Aloud Program Volunteers of the Year at Words Alive’s 2014 Volunteer Appreciation Celebration!
Jane and Bruce’s passion for literacy shines through in their family, including a son who majored in English, a romance novelist daughter-in-law, and a five-year-old granddaughter who absolutely loves reading! Bruce passed away in 2022, though his legacy of service and learning lives on.
Today, Jane volunteers in eight classes at Burbank Elementary and Emerson Elementary. Jane also serves as a site lead for her schools, coordinating book deliveries and tirelessly recruiting new families to enroll in Words Alive’s programming.
Jane is also a remarkable fundraiser. She has volunteered for Champions for Youth - Words Alive’s largest fundraiser - every year we have participated, raising a total of nearly $20,000 by mobilizing her community to invest in Words Alive’s mission.
A cornerstone of the Read Aloud Program is the relationship built between the volunteer “reading role model” and the students they share stories with every week. Even years after Jane volunteered in their classroom, students will eagerly approach her to share memories of their time together and declare they still have the books she gave them!
Words Alive thanks Jane for her years of dedicated service and the impact she has made on countless young readers!