top of page
Two Friends with a Tablet

Shining a Light on Literacy

Light a Candle for Literacy (LACFL) is a volunteer-run after-school and summer literacy program founded by longtime Southside community and literacy advocate, Geneva Hayden.  Based on Syracuse’s Southside in the Brighton neighborhood, LACFL serves school-age youth in Kindergarten-5th grade. Our program operates daily after school from 3 to 5 p.m. and focuses on reading, homework help, and character development.  We also operate a 6-week program during the summer program.

What We Do

Homework Help

Daily homework help is available to our students through our volunteer tutors.

Childhood Literacy

We help develop the language and literacy skills needed to become successful readers.

Character Building

We teach character-building activities such as honesty, respect, and civic duty.

"65% of America's fourth graders do not read at a proficient level. 61% of low income families have no books at all in their homes for their children. 1 in 4 children in America grow up without learning how to read."

36689262_2075501049438820_6843317924116037632_n (1).jpg

Our Mission

Our mission is to increase awareness of the importance of literacy, counteract the summer reading loss in children, and help parents understand the importance of reading to their children daily.

What Parents Think

“Mrs. Hayden is a strong advocate for literacy."

Cheryl B.

bottom of page