Greetings!
As you know, Kids Need to Read sends books and provides literacy programs near and far, but nothing beats the special moments we spend directly with children, inspiring them to read and dream of an exciting future. Not too long ago, we visited a school for homeless children, reading with them and gifting each with a beautiful new hardcover book. When we returned to the campus a few months later, a line of first grade students walked past us in the courtyard. Suddenly, a boy broke out of the line and ran back to us, exclaiming “I remember you! I read your book every day!” We are still cherishing that moment! The book Kids Need to Read provided is likely the only book he owns. Consider the impact of that one book. He is reading it daily! This, in a demographic of children lacking access to books and often woefully behind in reading skills, is nearly miraculous. Take a moment to absorb this disheartening statistic:
Forty-five percent of our nation’s children live in neighborhoods that lack public libraries and stores that sell books, or in homes where books are an unaffordable or unfamiliar luxury. At the same time, two-thirds of the schools and programs in our nation’s lowest-income neighborhoods can’t afford to buy books at retail prices. That means that, today, 32.4 million American children go without books—even as study after study has shown that literacy is crucial to success in school, future earning potential, and the ability to contribute to the nation’s economy. —Randi Weingarten, American Educator, Spring 2015
32 .4 million American children go without books! We are all up against this unthinkable silent crisis. Illiterate children become illiterate adults, which affects our communities as a whole. However, Kids Need to Read is working passionately to ensure as many of these children as possible will not “go without books.” Thanks to kind contributions made by you and other like-minded individuals, we started two new, much appreciated national programs, and are preparing a mobile outreach van to deliver books and other reading resources to Arizona children living in the most challenging of conditions. Not only do KNTR programs make reading resources available but they also work to increase parental engagement and neutralize the regressive effects of the summer slide—the three most important predictors of reading success.
Response from kindergarten teachers to READ Together, currently in place in 70 classrooms throughout the nation, has been overwhelmingly positive, with teachers asking us to continue the program into the first grade. READ Together partners with schools to encourage adult caregivers to read every day with their children. Grow Your Library provides books to public libraries throughout the country, as well as builds a spirit of community service within the program’s participants. Coming soon will be The Page Coach, our mobile outreach unit made possible through a generous grant by Employees Community Fund of Boeing Arizona! The Page Coach will visit low socioeconomic areas, delivering books and supplemental reading resources to Boys & Girls Clubs, transitional homes, recreation centers, schools, libraries, and events.
This is where you come in! Kids Need to Read has wonderful, effective programs in place, but we will not be able to provide the vital literacy resources and program services necessary to keep them running without your support. Whether you can help with $25 or $1,000, your gift will assist in the provision of reading resources for the foundation of the future—children! Of course, your donation is 100% tax deductible.
Children need books to fire their imaginations and to develop necessary skills for future success. Families, teachers, librarians, and community organizations need books to facilitate their work. By teaming up with literacy partners and supporters like you to vigorously mitigate this issue head on, Kids Need to Read will continue to work on behalf of disadvantaged children, providing the books and programs they need to develop high reading proficiency levels. Thank you for helping to connect children with books for more literate, productive communities.
Most gratefully,
Denise Gary
Executive Director
P.S. We are currently working to establish our first chapter in another state. This will help to bring more localized assistance to the children who need our resources the most. To make a contribution to assist Kids Need to Read in providing books and literacy programs to children, please visit our secure Donation page, or mail a check to the address below. We thank you sincerely for being a crucial part of our efforts on behalf of children who lack access to books!
Kids Need to Read
2450 West Broadway Road, Suite 110
Mesa, Arizona 85202
480-256-0115
info@kidsneedtoread.org
