​How Sarah makes time for us, I don't know! Sarah is mother to 4 girls ages 7,6, 4 and 2.  Two of her daughters attend AES.  After volunteering in her own girl's classroom,  she comes to Read with Me and works with 2 students!  Sarah and her family moved here about a year ago from Manhattan. They moved to Aspen to get out of the city and gain nature but not lost the culture of the big city!   Sarah loves to be a part of her girls' education and volunteers for Read with Me because she believes it is important to be involved in the schools and wants to help anyway she can.  She is most passionate about her 4 girls and her best trait is patience!  It's true!  She is so kind and patient with the kids she works with!  Something fun about Sarah... she loves Jigsaw Puzzles!  Sarah, thank you for joining our team!  You are such a great addition! 

Bunny Harrison didn't even need to say it, but when I asked her what her best character trait is... she said her smile!  Bunny lights a room up when she walks in.  If you ever need a hug or to feel a little extra love, just be with her for a few minutes.  She will make sure you feel like you are the most important person in the room.  Bunny moved to Aspen in 1980 to be closer to family... some may know she is part of the wonderful Ryerson family!  Bunny started volunteering at AES long before Read with Me started.  She was one of our very first volunteers 3 years ago.  She does Read with Me because she loves when kids come in with their beautiful smiles to greet her.  She also loves seeing the progress the kids make!
Bunny is most passionate about music and she told me a little something others may not know... she used to be on stage!
Bunny...  you are a true light to the Read with Me program.  We are so glad you chose to dedicate 2 days a week to be with us! 

When Aspen Elementary School's 4th grade teacher Katie Fox asked me if I needed more volunteers, I was pleased to find out she meant her husband Stuart!  Stuart joined our team just a few weeks ago and comes in with a huge smile on his face and loves reading with the kids. Stuart moved to Aspen 6 years ago with his wife Katie (who grew up here and is an alum of the Aspen schools).  Stuart works in the banking world! When asked what made him want to volunteer he said that he is passionate about reading and loved the opportunity to pass on it to the next generation. Stuart enjoys working with children.  He and Katie have their own sweet daughter that he gets to read to as well!  Stuart is passionate about his family and enjoying all that the Roaring Fork Valley has to offer!  I asked Stuart what his best character trait is and he said loyalty. Lucky for his... maybe we will get him as a volunteer for a long time!  A super fun fact about Stuart... when he was a senior in high school, his older sister by 8 years was his English teacher.  I bet she had some fun with that! 
Welcome to the team Stuart!  We are so glad you want to share your passion for reading with our kids at AES! 

Lynn came to Aspen 35 years ago... came to ski and stayed! She is very involved in the community.  She been a faithful volunteer since the beginning of Read with Me.  Lynn falls hard for the kids she works with and never wants them to move onto the middle school!  She loves to read and is interested in  literacy.  She read about Read with Me in her church bulletin and quickly joined our team.  Not only does Lynn volunteer but has kindly donated money over the last two years so we could build our library! Lynn loves the outdoors and hiking. Being retired allows her husband and her to do what they love in their "Golden Years"! She loves reading, crosswords and animals! Lynn has a huge heart for people and animals and hates the injustice she sees. When I asked her about something we should know about her, she said that she hates change.  I guess that is good for us... it's means she will be back again next year! Thanks for your faithfulness to Read with Me Lynn!

​Dr. John Maloy is the superintendent of the Aspen Schools.  The idea behind Read with Me came from him.  Dr. Maloy had a program at his former district that was a volunteer reading program to support 2nd and 3rd graders who were falling behind in reading. He has passion for helping kids become better readers and hopefully they will begin to experience the joy of reading.  He has been one of our volunteers from the start because he believes it is a wonderful opportunity to help kids get excited about reading! Dr. Maloy and his wife moved to Aspen 10 years ago from Bloomington, Indiana where he was the superintendent. When asked about what he is most passionate about, he said that after his family, he wants to be a part of helping kids be successful in and out of school.  He shared that he believes one of his best character traits is caring about others and making sure that people feel like they are a valued member of a team.  He  also feels he is a good listener and is able to support people with concerns or issues and help them solve the problem.  When I asked him about something fun we should know about him, he laughed and then I found out he is terrified of snakes!  He also shared that he loves to play tennis and pickle ball and just might have a championship win in his back pocket! Thank you Dr. Maloy for believing in this program and continuing to make it a priority at Aspen Elementary School!

Chonnie knows the importance of reading with children as she has 2 of her own whom she has taught the love of reading.  She has 2 daughters who attend school at AES and AMS. Both of her girls are strong readers and love it.  She started volunteering for Read with Me because she wanted to share the same love with kids she works with. She believes that reading is so valuable for every aspect of your life. Chonnie humbly shared that one of her best character traits is that she enjoys helping others! When Chonnie isn't loving on her own family or Read with Me kids, she is running her own gardening and home management business that she has run since the early 90s.  Chonnie moved here 26 years ago when she came for a visit and never left! One fun fact about Chonnie... she and her family travel to Italy every year and have lots of friends there!  Chonnie, thanks for giving back to kids kids at AES! 

Many know Bill, as he has lived in Aspen for over 40 years!  You can't miss his smile and great sense of humor!  In fact he believes humor is very important to have!  He also believes that one of his best character traits is his ability to care for others.  Bill has been practicing law for over 40 years.  Most of his years have been in criminal law.  He certainly wears a different hat when he reads with his reading partners at school!   Bill joined our team 3 years ago when a friend who is also one of our volunteers invited him to come. He agreed and has stayed because he really likes working with the kids!  He believes it is so important for the kids to get good experiences with reading.  We are thankful for Bill showing up and giving us all a good laugh and the kindness he gives to the kids he works with!

If you have spent any time driving around Aspen, you have met or seen Brian O'Neil.  He walks everywhere and you can almost always see a book in his hand! Brian has lived in Aspen for over 40 years!

Brian has been a volunteer for Read with Me for 3 years!  He was one of the first volunteers to sign up and has helped recruit others from his frequent lunches at the Senior Center!  Brian loves to read and his passion for volunteering stems from his years of teaching in Massachusetts.  He would see elementary school teachers "trying to do it all" and he was excited to come support kids at AES!  Brian is a soft spoken, gentleman who believes it is important to give everyone the benefit of the doubt.  He is very involved in the local Elks chapter.  We are so thankful for Brian and the fun he brings to our group!

The first time I met Peggy Johnston, I knew she would be amazing with kids.  Little did I know, she had been coming to AES a few years before Read with Me began and volunteered her time with kids and reading.  She has read with the same buddy for 5 years!   As you can see from the picture, she is full of joy!  She will even tell you her best character trait is her sense of humor!  She reads with kids because she thinks it is so fun and she loves the kids she works with. She also loves to read.  In fact, Peggy knows that books can take you anywhere  and she believes everyone should read and find the adventure in books.  Peggy takes her reading adventure for real and loves to travel to places all over the world and discover other cultures!  Peggy has "adopted" families in Bali, Brazil and Basalt!  Peggy has lived in Aspen since 1972.  She moved here on a whim... we are sure glad she did!