The Limestone County NAACP’s STEPS program will celebrate its 11th birthday Saturday, but there’s no elaborate birthday party being planned.

In lieu of gifts, organizer Diane Steele hopes area students, parents and volunteers will simply attend the regular monthly event. The session is set for 9:30 a.m. at the Round Island Creek Mission Center, 13829 Lucas Ferry Road, Athens.

STEPS is an acronym for Students Taking Excellence Personally = Success. It is a reading program for students ages 3-13 and works to motivate students who may not enjoy reading. STEPS also serves as a showcase for students who love reading and who want to serve as an example for others.

Steele explained the overall goal of the program is to increase children’s independent reading time while also increasing comprehension. STEPS meets once each month and students who participate are assigned one book to read each month. Steele always hopes, however, the students exceed that number as their interest in reading continues.

“Reading is simply the fundamental foundation of learning,” she said. “If you don’t get it, you’re not going to master other subjects.”

She anticipates about 40 students at Saturday’s meeting, but participation from students, parents and volunteers has never declined. Some of the program’s current volunteers are former participants in the program who have come back to encourage others. Other volunteers are certified teachers who work directly with the students on comprehension.

A volunteer segment Steele would like to have more participation from are men. She explained there may be some students who need positive male role models in their lives.

When asked about goals for 2017, Steele said the overall goal remains the same — increasing the reading comprehension of students.

“We’re always looking to take the program to the next level, but we know students have to be able to read fast and comprehend even faster to be academically successful,” she said.

For more information on the STEPS program, contact Steele at 256-797-1333 or email step.athens@gmail.com.