What: The Children’s Book Drive is a collaborative effort between United Way of Rhode Island and Books Are Wings to engage local businesses, community organizations, individuals, and families in fostering a love of reading, while encouraging children to build their libraries at home. This will be our thirteenth year collecting books. Over the past twelve years, we’ve put 344,253 books into the hands of children statewide.
When: April and May, ending just in time for summer learning. Individual collections can run for any time during April and May – a few days, a few weeks, or an entire month.
Why: Children not proficient in reading by the end of third grade are four times less likely to graduate from high school than proficient readers, profoundly affecting their future earnings. Children in under-resourced families have fewer reading materials, and for many, there are zero books in the home. Early access to books is critical to successful reading development, and summer reading can help close the reading achievement gap.
Types of books: New and gently used books for children - from babies to grade five.
Contact: volunteer@unitedwayri.org to register.
