The Children's Dyslexia Center of Lancaster held its 19th annual Celebration of Achievement on July 30 at the Lancaster Masonic Center. Of the nine children graduating from the program, six were in attendance. The graduates are Kaitlin Cruz, Bailie DeMaria, Kayliannah Gonzalez, Iris Kowal, Letteria Olsen, Nalani Reese, Maya Roeser, Delaney Smith, and Seth Wickenheiser.

About 250 children have received services through the center since its opening in 2002.

Heather Brown, director of the center, presented each graduate with a signed certificate, a personalized booklet detailing the student's reading journey, a collection of thank-you speeches from fellow graduates, and an autograph bear, the mascot adopted by the Children's Dyslexia Centers Inc., as a keepsake. Students presented words of thanks to their tutors and the Board of Governors for the services they received. The Lancaster Lodge of Perfection presented a $6,000 check from the fifth annual Bowling Night Fundraiser. The Celebration of Achievement concluded with an ice cream social.

The center, sponsored by the Lancaster Lodge of Perfection of the Ancient Accepted Scottish Rite Masons, is one of six such centers in Pennsylvania providing tutoring at no charge to children from elementary through high school who fit a dyslexic profile. Children are eligible regardless of economic status or Masonic affiliation. The Orton-Gillingham approach is used as the basis for tutoring and tutor training. This method is a sequential, multisensory, phonetic approach to language.

For more information about the program or how to support its mission, call 717-481-5680 or email lancaster@cdcinc.org.