Thursday, January 23rd is National Reading Day. To celebrate the event NBC26 is donating hundreds of new books to a local elementary school.
It's all part of our "If you give a child a book" campaign that is aimed at putting age-appropriate books into the hands of children in need.
According to the Annie E. Casey Foundation, a student unable to read at grade level in third grade is less likely to graduate from high school.
As part of our company's literacy campaign to help boos the odds for children in need, NBC26 along with the Scripps Howard Foundation, delivered boxes full of brand new books to Lincoln Elementary School in Green Bay.
"It's not like every day you get new books that you weren't really expecting," says Teagan Sinkler, a 4th grader at Lincoln Elementary School.
Through employee fundraising the If You Give a Child a Book campaign put 681 brand new books into deserving hands.
"It feels like Christmas because like you're getting a brand new thing that is yours and you get to enjoy. It's like a little escape," Teagan Sinkler adds.
"Approximately 85% to 95% of our kids are on free or reduced lunch. Not a lot of them have books in their homes," says Angela Hager, Principal at Lincoln Elementary School.
"We want our kids to be successful in life and in the community. We need them to read and be confident readers," she says.
Hager says she knows the joy that new books bring into a child's life.
"Being able to find a book they want to read or to know more about it was such a heart-warming experience to see."
The 681 new books delivered to Lincoln Elementary School equates to at least 3 books for every student at the school.
Nationally, the If You Give a Child a Book campaign has distributed more than 172,000 books across the country to children in need.
