MEMPHIS, Tenn —
NEWS RELEASE FROM CHOOSE 901
Give901 Launches Fundraiser for Summer Learning Kits
Memphis Fundraiser to Provide Literacy Tools for Low-Income Families with PreK-3rd Graders
Memphis, TN: After losing a quarter of the school year in classroom time and seeing many summer learning camps canceled, Memphis students and their parents face a summer full of uncertainty.
Before COVID-19, data showed that 61% of third graders in Shelby County were not reading on grade level. Because of this, the effects of lost learning time could be especially devastating for our youngest learners, from Pre-K to third grade, who have likely struggled to get the most out of online learning, if they were able to access it at all.
In addition to the challenges of a pandemic, data shows that children from low-income households have access to fewer books than their more financially stable peers. This is where Give901 is asking Memphians to get involved. We need to get books into the hands of these children immediately. We know that Memphians care deeply about each other and now we’re asking you to invest in the children most likely to be left behind by the shortened school year and the canceled camps.
Give901 is working with local Memphis literacy promoters ARISE2Read and Porter-Leath's Books from Birth Program, along with local businesses, Burke’s Books and Art Center, to put together Summer Learning Kits that will include 3 picture books on appropriate reading levels, learning activity packs, and interactive toys.
With Memphians’ help, Give901 will purchase materials for Summer Learning Kits for 1300 low-income children in nine different schools and programs across the city and distribute Kits to families. These will go straight into the hands of the kids who need them most, and the next generation of Memphians will get closer to reaching an essential educational goal: learning to read.
Starting Monday, May 11, we’re asking Memphians to help to raise $15,000 for Summer Learning Kits.$25 provides a Kit for a child—just go to www.give901.org to make your gift. You give, and we’ll get the books to the kids, and kick start a summer of learning for these young Memphians.
Give901 is a giving platform created by City Leadership and Choose901 to engage Memphians in supporting education in Memphis. We pass 100% of that support directly on to outstanding local education programs, including award-winning teacher training programs, innovative schools, and outstanding after-school mentoring programs.
