This
summer, the Archway Partnership’s Readers to Leaders initiative is giving out free
books to children at eight of our neediest USDA free lunch sites in Whitfield
County. Children without access to books
typically regress academically in the summer when compared to their peers who
do have access. Research has proven that
book access can make a tremendous difference in preventing the drastic learning
slide.
Readers
to Leaders is providing books collected from donors and book drives, and
Whitfield County Food Services is making sure the books get in the hands of
kids. The Chamber of Commerce, Dalton State College’s School of Education, AmeriCorps
VISTAs, and several churches are conducting reading circles and extra learning
opportunities at some of the sites. This initiative would not be possible
without Alice Ensley with Big Red Reads who has assisted with best practices
and book donations.
Locations
serving as a host site for children to receive their free lunch and book are:
Mountain View Subdivision, Dawnville Meadows, Pleasant Grove Elementary School,
Cedar Ridge housing area, Swamp Creek Baptist Church, New Haven United
Methodist Church, Margaret Circle, and River Bend housing area.
We
anticipate giving out around 1,000 books (or more) a week between now and the week of July 28. Volunteers are needed to
pass out books, encourage kids to read, and read to children at the sites.
Books are also needed to accommodate the thousands of children receiving books
over the coming weeks.
Pictures
of the Power Lunches can be viewed here on our Facebook photo
albums page.
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