Celebrating Five Years of Changing Lives Through Literacy

The journey to establish York County Reads began in 2015, when Founder and Executive Director Lissa Felzer’s son was diagnosed with dyslexia and dysgraphia. He was between kindergarten and first grade and already deeply discouraged by his struggles in school. He cried frequently, dragged his feet each morning, and watched his self-esteem steadily decline. Realizing that his needs were not being met, Lissa made the difficult decision to homeschool him.

Because specialized tutoring for children with dyslexia was prohibitively expensive, Lissa trained in the Orton-Gillingham approach through the Institute for Multi-Sensory Education. Within the first few days of using this structured, multisensory approach, she knew she had discovered something powerful. After completing advanced Orton-Gillingham training, Lissa helped her son catch up—and eventually surpass his expected reading level. Today, he is a thriving high school senior.

Lissa knew she wanted to share this life-changing approach with other children, but raising six children meant that her family’s immediate needs had to come first. By January 2021, the time was finally right. With the help of her friend Melanie, Fort Mill Reads was born. The organization quickly expanded beyond Fort Mill, leading to a new name and a broader mission. In November 2021, York County Reads officially became a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.

As we approach our fifth anniversary, York County Reads has provided more than 2,000 hours of individualized literacy instruction to over 40 students throughout York County, with 84% of those hours offered free or at a reduced cost.

We are incredibly proud of how far we have come—but there are still so many children waiting for the help they need. Your anniversary gift will allow us to train and support tutors, provide instructional materials, and make effective, science-based literacy instruction accessible to more struggling readers.

Please help us celebrate five years of changing lives—one reader at a time. Together, we can give more children the skills, confidence, and hope they need to thrive.

Fifth Anniversary Celebration

Come celebrate with us!