United We Read
Lubbock Area United Way hosted its third annual United We Read event on November 5th. More than 200 volunteers read to both in-person and virtual second-grade classrooms in the nine Lubbock County school districts. Approximately 3,600 students participated in the event.
Volunteers and students read The Word Collector by Peter H. Reynolds and participated in activities based on the book. In the book, Jerome discovers the magic of the words around him and how words can connect, transform, and empower.
Thanks to event sponsors Amerigroup, Atmos Energy, Betenbough Homes, Covenant Children’s, First United Bank, Scholastic Book, and United Supermarkets, every child went home with a copy of the book and a craft to go along with the story.
In addition to the volunteers who participated on the day of the event. Many volunteer groups and individuals helped beforehand, sorting craft supplies, separating books and materials by classroom, and delivering materials to schools. United Way also provided 157 books in Spanish for ESL households.