The United Way of Rutherford and Cannon Counties is hosting a collection drive for its annual Literacy Day of Action aimed at helping stop the "summer slide." Donations of new or gently used books and other educational resources will be accepted through June 16.
Information about the collection drive is available at yourlocaluw.org/literacydayofaction.
Literacy Day of Action is an opportunity for donors to directly impact literacy in the community. Literacy is critical for a healthy society and the foundation of all learning. This year, United Way is hosting a drive to collect new or gently used books and other educational resources that children need during the summer months to help prevent "summer slide.
The collected items will be distributed to neighbors in need via Murfreesboro City Schools' Books on a Bus (BOB), Chow Bus and the Rutherford County Schools YMCA after school program.
"This year's Literacy Day of Action will be dedicated to Dr. Linda Gilbert, who was Director of Murfreesboro City Schools and a tireless advocate for children's education," said Meagan Flippin, President and CEO of United Way of Rutherford and Cannon Counties. "We commemorate her lifetime of service to students' well-being, and we are proud to have worked side by side with her for many years to help improve the lives of children and families in our community. She will be deeply missed."
The community can participate in the following ways:
- Purchase items from the Amazon Wishlist to be shipped directly to United Way by June 16.
- Donate "gently used" books or purchase items from other retailers and deliver them to the United Way office: 3050 Medical Center Pkwy, 2nd Floor, Murfreesboro, TN.
- Sign up to serve as a collection site
- Share information about this program on social media.
List of items needed (also see our Amazon Wishlist):
- Books pre-K – 6th grade
- Chapter books
- Dual language books
- Flash cards
- Workbooks of any kind/subject
- Coloring books
- Crayons
- Sidewalk chalk
- Index cards
- Glue sticks
- Paint/paint brushes
Items can be dropped off at the Chamber of Commerce on Tuesday, June 16, from noon to 4 p.m. A drive-through drop-off location will be set up in the parking lot. (3050 Medical Center Pkwy, Murfreesboro, TN).
About "Summer Slide"
Summer break is typically a time for kids to relax, play, and embrace the freedom having almost no responsibilities. With school being canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic, "summer break" started much earlier in 2020 than in years past. All this extra free time can lead to "summer slide," which is when kids lose some of their academic proficiency during summer break, and that can create hurdles to learning when they go back to school.
About United Way's Bold Goal: Early Education
One of the areas of focus within United Way's Bold Goals 2030 initiative is Early Education. The goal is to ensure every child in Rutherford and Cannon County has quality early learning experiences beginning at birth, including 50% or more of children being kindergarten ready.
Children who have not developed basic literacy skills by the time they enter kindergarten are three to four times more likely to drop out in later years. Third grade is the turning point when children make the transition from learning to read to reading to learn. If they aren't reading well by that point, they will most likely struggle to read their social studies texts, understand their math problems or follow directions on their science experiments, and they rarely catch up.
There is no greater investment in our community than in the future success of our children. United Way is fighting to make sure every child has the skills they need to succeed throughout their educational journey.
For more information about Literacy Day of Action, contact Casey Warren at casey.warren@yourlocaluw.org.
Sponsors: Publix, Nissan, MYP, Regions Bank, Wilson Bank & Trust, Franklin Synergy Bank, Cornerstone Financial Credit Union, and Ingram Content Group.
