Lubbock Area United Way hosted its seventh annual United We Read event where more than 500 volunteers read the same book simultaneously in every second-grade classroom in the 10 school districts and two charter schools in Lubbock County. More than 4,200 students participated in the event, including all Frenship ISD second graders.
Volunteers from across the community along with Frenship ISD administrators, Frenship ISD School Board Members, and Frenship Foundation Board Members spread out across Frenship’s elementary schools to read The Dot by Peter H. Reynolds. Matching the theme of the book, all students enjoyed a fun activity where they got to decorate their own “dot”.
“This is such an important event for our students,” said Frenship ISD Superintendent Dr. McCord. “Not only is it promoting literacy and getting students exciting about reading, but it also brings the community together and gives our students an opportunity to interact with community volunteers. It’s always a fun experience when they get visitors in class, and this just reinforces our Frenship Way SERVE Model.”
In addition to reading the book and the arts and craft activity of decorating their “dot”, every student got a copy of the book to take home to continue reading with their families. This included Spanish versions of the book for Frenship’s Spanish speaking families and dual language students.
“For the last seven years, United We Read has been an event that has helped us drive awareness around the importance of grade-level reading,” said Libby Linker, United Way’s Community Impact Director. “We hope that through United We Read, more families understand the importance of literacy and can share in the joy of reading and storytelling with their children.”
United We Read is a part of Lubbock Area United Way’s Start Smart initiative. Start Smart is sponsored by Atmos Energy, Covenant Health, H-E-B, First United Bank, Prosperity Bank, TXU Energy, and United Supermarkets.