GREEN BAY, Wis. (WFRV) – Pat Shafer retired from teaching in 2016 but never wanted to stop helping kids learn, and now helps provide the tools necessary to help kids with dyslexia succeed in school and life.

Shafer was an educator for 20 years who dedicated her life to helping children learn to read but after retirement, her work wasn’t done.

After getting many calls asking her to tutor kids with dyslexia, Pat knew there was a need.

“I love kids, I love words myself,” Shafer began. “Wisconsin has a very weak dyslexia law, so a lot of our students aren’t being serviced.”

As a certified dyslexia therapist, Pat opened On the Mark Dyslexia Clinic in 2018, volunteering full-time as Executive Director and Tutor.

“Every child deserves the right to learn to read and if they can’t get the intervention they need at school, they need to get it someplace. We see a lot of students with anxiety and mental health developing because they can’t keep up with their peers,” added Shafer.

The nonprofit clinic has been open for nearly five years, with trained tutors giving kids the tools they need, completely free for families.

Pat named the clinic ‘On The Mark’ to honor her son’s life and memory. Mark died at the age of 13 in 1994 of cancer.

“I was inspired by him and the way he touched people’s lives in his short time here and it’s important to me to leave a legacy in his name,” said Shafer.

A Remarkable Woman dedicated to helping others, “I feel blessed to be a part of these kids’ lives,” added Pat.