Indiana has a literacy problem.
Our children are underperforming on critical reading assessments. We can turn this around by supporting reading initiatives and working to get our children excited about reading. As a proud book lover, it’s been a joy to provide reading programs for children every year since becoming mayor. I hope by sharing books with children we can foster a love of reading and inspire them to read more.
What began as an online book club in 2020 has grown into a multi-grade literacy promotion every year at the end of February to kick off the annual celebration of Read Across America. Thanks to generous support from our educational partners at Ivy Tech and Indiana University Southeast we put books into the hands of preschoolers and all second-grade and fourth-grade students every year.
Reading with our children is one of the highlights of my year!
The state has a goal to increase third-grade reading proficiency to 95% by 2027 (currently we’re at 82%). I was surprised, therefore, when I read that Governor Braun’s preferred budget removes funding for the Imagination Library, Dolly Parton’s literacy program that sends children up to age five a free book every month. If our goal is to improve childhood literacy and therefore help Hoosiers be more successful in the future, then why cut funding to a program that is directly relevant to one of our big educational goals and that comprises only 0.013% of our state budget? Faced with sharp criticism, Governor Braun has tasked his wife with finding an alternative funding mechanism by seeking charitable donations to keep the program alive.
Locally, the Imagination Library is administered by Clark County Reads, a 501c3 tax-exempt organization that provides families an opportunity to enroll in the program for which it covers half the price of postage to mail the books to children. Currently, the program serves approximately 3,600 children in Clark County, 800 of whom live in Charlestown Township.
To keep books in children’s mailboxes, Clark County Reads needs to collect $80,000 in donations this year!
This year Clark County Reads is hosting a charitable pickleball tournament to raise funds for the program. More than ever, our donations matter. Children who get excited about receiving a book in the mail every month are more likely to develop a love of reading. Being excited about reading is the first step to improving childhood literacy. This year’s pickleball tournament takes place on Saturday, May 17th from 9am-5pm at GoodBounce Pickleball Yard in Clarksville. You can sponsor, sign up to compete, and find out more information by emailing clarkcountyINreads@gmail.com.
If, like me, you’re athletically challenged and still want to support this critical program, you can donate directly to the Clark County Reads Imagination Library fund by visiting https://donate.imaginationlibrary.com/?country=US&affid=INCLARK
This week I’ll be visiting classrooms and reading with our children. When they come home after the visit, they’ll have a book of their own with a handwritten note from me that I hope inspires them to share their new story with you. It’s up to us to save the Imagination Library in our community this year. I hope you’ll join me in donating to this worthy cause.
My cousin John Ashton mails out the Dolly Parton books around here. When I was a kid we had the Book It club at Pizza Hut where we'd win a personal pan pizza after reading a few books.