Sweet Success: How Dessert for Dyslexia Helps Students Read the Menu (and So Much More)

There's a moment every reader remembers: the first time you picked up a menu, scanned the choices, and ordered exactly what you wanted, all by yourself. No one reading it to you. Just you, the words, and your decision.

That's the moment captured in the photo above. Madeline Adams, daughter of Love 2 Read co-founders Andrea and John Adams, is doing exactly that at The Dolphin Bar & Shrimp Grill, weighing her options with the kind of quiet confidence that comes from truly independent reading. It's a simple, joyful scene. It's also exactly what Love 2 Read exists to make possible for every child, regardless of how their brain is wired to read.

A Dessert That Did Double Duty

For years, our friends at The Dolphin Bar & Shrimp Grill have turned something sweet into something meaningful. During their Dessert for Dyslexia fundraiser, they generously donated 100% of the proceeds from their dessert menu (cakes, pies, ice cream, and more) sold over a specified time frame, directly to Love 2 Read, Inc. (One of our favorites is the Orange Sunrise Cake.) Those proceeds fund one-on-one, specialized tutoring for students with dyslexia and other learning differences.

It's a beautifully simple idea: order a dessert, help a child order from a menu of their own someday.

Where the Proceeds Go

The dollars raised go straight to the heart of our mission. Love 2 Read connects students with tutors, instructional coaches, and professional developers trained in the Science of Reading, and we make that instruction accessible in a very specific way:

• Our educators slide their fees, offering their time and expertise at reduced rates because they believe in the mission.

• Love 2 Read slides family fees based on income, so that a parent's or grandparent's ability to pay never determines whether a child gets the help they need.

That combination of generous educators and flexible family pricing is what makes specialized, one-on-one tutoring possible for families who could never otherwise afford it. Fundraisers like Dessert for Dyslexia are what keep that bridge standing.

Why It Matters

Reading isn't just an academic skill. It's the everyday key to independence. It's a menu at a favorite restaurant. It's a text from a friend, a recipe, a road sign, a job application. At Love 2 Read, we believe every student, every person, deserves the sweet success of picking up something written and understanding it, on their own terms.

Every dessert sold during Dessert for Dyslexia has helped put that independence within reach for one more child.

A Sweet Thank You

To The Dolphin Bar & Shrimp Grill: thank you for the years you've turned your dessert menu into a force for literacy. Every dessert sold in support of Dessert for Dyslexia has helped a student get closer to reading with independence and confidence. We're grateful for your generosity, and we hope to share more Dessert for Dyslexia moments together in the future.

And to everyone who ordered that extra dessert knowing where the proceeds went, thank you for helping write the next chapter for a student who's still learning to read the menu.

Interested in supporting Love 2 Read or learning more about our tutoring programs? Visit Love2Read.org to find out how you can get involved.