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SMART volunteer earns statewide award Monday Feb 26, 2018 at 4:12 PM Feb 26, 2018 at 4:13 PM Local report Jenny Roderick, who coordinates the SMART reading site in a Gold Hill school, has been named the organization's 2018 statewide volunteer of the year. Roderick, a longtime SMART volunteer, was selected from among 10 regional winners. A release from Julie Brimble, SMART’s Rogue Valley area manager, noted that Roderick was selected "because of her longstanding dedication to fostering a love of reading in local children, as well as her creativity and innovation." SMART places adult volunteers in elementary schools across the state, where they read with and to students in pre-kindergarten through third grade. Children in the program receive 14 new books throughout the school year. More than 1,300 students and about 600 volunteers participated in the Rogue Valley region in 2017. Roderick has been involved with SMART for 18 years and coordinates a program that reaches 80 children at Patrick Elementary School. In the release, Brimble noted that Roderick "has gone above and beyond with initiatives like transforming an old school shower room into a beautiful Hobbit Library, a welcoming, bright place for children and volunteers to discover the wonders of reading together.” “We are so grateful to Jenny for the time and talent she brings to SMART,” Chris Otis, SMART executive director, said in the release. “Her outstanding commitment to ensuring that students in the Rogue Valley have access to one-on-one reading support and books to keep is inspiring, and we’re honored to work alongside her.” Roderick was awarded the top honor Feb. 9, at SMART’s statewide fundraising event in Portland, the Alphabet Ball. For more information about SMART, see www.getSMARToregon.org or call 541-734-5628.