Coronado resident Carol Raiter and United Through Reading were honored by Soroptimist International of La Mesa at its 53rd annual Pre-Thanksgiving Breakfast on November 24 for her volunteer work with the nonprofit organization. The event honors individuals and organizations that give to the local community throughout the year. This year’s theme was “Helping Women and Children,” both locally and globally.

Raiter, who is an educator and speech therapist by training, has been a long-time supporter of the mission of United Through Reading, which is to unite families facing physical separation by facilitating the bonding experience of reading aloud together. In 2009, she agreed to take on the challenge of planning and executing the first annual black-tie fundraising gala in the history of the organization.

“We were extremely fortunate to have Carol at the helm of United Through Reading’s first official black tie gala, the Storybook Ball,” said Sally Ann Zoll, Zoll, Ed. D., chief executive officer of United Through Reading. “Her vast years of experience with events such as the Coronado School’s Foundation’s Celebrate Children! and the Coronado Soroptimists International annual luncheon, made her the perfect choice to serve as chair of our gala.”
Honoring 20 years of service to separated families, such as those of deployed members of the armed services, the first Storybook Ball featured a talk by best-selling author James Patterson and Target as the corporate sponsor. The event raised more than $300,000 in its first year.

Raiter also agreed to serve as chair of the 2010 Storybook Ball which featured author Jeff Kinney, author of the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series. There were more than 300 people in attendance this year and over $300,000 was raised once again.

“Carol’s energy, enthusiasm, attention to detail and exceptional organizational skills have once again combined to create a fantastically successful event,” said Zoll. “We have benefitted exponentially from her dedication to United Through Reading and the families it serves.”

United Through Reading is the nation’s first nonprofit to promote the read-aloud experience for separated families. Research shows that the read-aloud experience is a way for children to experience the joy of reading and gain critical learning and communications skills. Over one million parents, spouses and children have benefited from the nationally-acclaimed United Through Reading programs. For more information on United Through Reading, visit www.unitedthroughreading.org or call (858) 481-7323.