As the CEO of Dyslexia Tutoring Program, Marcy Kolodny is dedicated to offering aid to people who may need extra attention and specific accommodations.
Under her leadership, the nonprofit, whose name she changed from MAYDAY (Maryland Associates of Dyslexic Adults and Youth), provides free English language arts tutoring to children and adults with learning disabilities, many of whom might not be able to afford tutoring otherwise.
Kolodny lives in Pikesville with her husband, Buzz, and the two of them are members of Baltimore Hebrew Congregation. They have two adult children, four grandchildren and recently welcomed their first great-grandchild.
Kolodny has been at Dyslexia Tutoring Program for over 24 years. As CEO, she is heavily involved in creating fundraising campaigns so the nonprofit can continue to offer its tutoring services for free, as well as facilitating training for tutors. Dyslexia Tutoring Program’s tutors use the Orton-Gillingham approach, which focuses on multisensory learning and was recently implemented into the New York City School System.
“Many of [the children we work with] are raised by their grandparents, as many of their parents are incarcerated or aren’t around,” she said. “They’re all very bright children, they just need to be taught differently. … It’s a wonderful organization, and I’m still here because I love what I do.”
Dyslexia Tutoring Program primarily works with children and adults from low-income communities. In addition to offering standard tutoring, the program is often able to send children to summer programs at the Jemicy School and The Odyssey School, which both specialize in teaching students with learning disabilities. The program also sends participants to camp and other summer language programs, which Kolodny notes as being important to their development as it helps children with learning disabilities connect with others who may have the same difficulties.
During the COVID pandemic, Kolodny worked with Jewish Community Services to implement JCS’s Be Well programming at the organization. This partnership primarily focuses on mental health for children with learning disabilities, and often has them come in with their parents or guardians to discuss constructive ways to handle stress.
“It’s very rewarding for me and my staff to see a kid who couldn’t read at all have that lightbulb go off in their head,” Kolodny said. “They can read the funny pages or a book they want to read. It’s wonderful to see them smile.”
In addition to her work at Dyslexia Tutoring Program, Kolodny has held many leadership positions during her lifetime, many of which were for Jewish community organizations. She was president of The Park School of Baltimore’s parents’ association. Then, she was the first director of development at Jemicy School.
Kolodny has also done leadership work for The Associated: Jewish Federation of Baltimore, serving as campaign chair for its women’s division. And, notably, she was the first woman president of Baltimore’s chapter of Jewish Big Brothers Big Sisters, which pairs children who have extra support needs with a Jewish mentor who serves as a friend and role model. She was also president of the JCC of Greater Baltimore.
For Kolodny, the most meaningful part of her work is watching children and adults with learning disabilities grow and develop.
“By giving these children, no matter who they are, the opportunity to strive for a better life, we become mentors to them,” she said. “A lot of these kids, when they come back to see me, they still call me Miss Marcy. It’s my own way of giving back so others will have an opportunity.”
