How “If You Give a Child a Book” Helps Plant the Seeds of Future Success

(WXYZ) — September is National Literacy Month, and to celebrate, 7 News Detroit and the Scripps Howard Foundation are hosting a day-long campaign to raise money to purchase books for children living in the greater Detroit area.

This is our annual “If You Give a Child a Book” campaign because giving children books can be the seed of future success.

RELATED: Support our “If You Give a Child a Book” campaign here

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Lauryn Sides is a fourth-grade student whose library at home continues to grow.

“What do you like most about reading?” I asked.

“The part where I get to hear different people’s thoughts,” Lauryn said.

She was able to select six new, age-appropriate books at last year’s Scholastic Book Fair thanks to donors from the Scripps Howard Fund’s “If You Give a Child a Book” campaign.

“I can imagine the adventures described in some of the books,” she said.

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Jillian Hamilton is Lauryn’s principal at Crothers Elementary. Center Line School is one of our Title One partner schools serving low-income neighborhoods where some families may not have access to high-quality books.

“At this book fair, children choose their own books. Why is that so important?” I asked.

“I mean, that’s huge. If students come in and can pick out their favorite books or things that interest them, they’ll be more motivated to read,” Hamilton said.

The Scripps Howard Foundation launched the campaign nine years ago, and since then more than a million books have been donated across the U.S. The goal is to provide children living in poverty with books that will help them build their own home libraries—books that will spark their imaginations, improve literacy rates, and help break the cycle of poverty.

“And the focus is really on pre-kindergarten through third grade. Why?” I asked Kaeli Erskine of the Scripps Howard Fund.

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“We know that from kindergarten to about the beginning of third grade, kids are learning to read. And then something changes about halfway through third grade, and kids start reading to learn,” Erskine said.

I have been to a few of these book fairs and it was really great to see the kids browsing through the books on the shelves and enjoying the choices they had.

“How cool is it that you can choose your own books and then keep them at home?” I asked Lauryn.

“It’s really, really cool. I can read it over and over and over again,” she said.

Our goal is to provide every student in our partner schools with 10 new, age-appropriate books per year.

The best part? All day Wednesday, the Scripps Howard Fund will match your donations up to $175,000. 100% of the money you donate stays in our community to buy books for kids in need.

Our colleagues at 7 News Detroit have already donated and it’s a cause close to our hearts.

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