Event to Celebrate 210,000 Free Books for 17,500 Greenville County Children
May 11, 2015
Public Education Partners Kicks Off “Make Summer Count”
GREENVILLE, SC – Public Education Partners (PEP) will kick off its Make Summer Countreading program on Friday, May 15th, at 10:15 AM at AJ Whittenberg Elementary School. Parking will be available across the street at Tabernacle Baptist Church – 400 South Hudson Street.
Children with few books at home don’t have sufficient opportunities to practice reading during the summer. As a result, these children actually lose critical reading skills during summer months, making it difficult to catch up. PEP’s Make Summer Count program sponsors free books fairs at 28 Greenville County elementary schools with a majority of students from low-income backgrounds. The 17,500 children at these schools are able to choose up to 12 free books from a total of 210,000 books to build home libraries and stabilize reading achievement over the summer.
“Much like building a house, building better readers requires the proper tools,” said Grier Mullins, Executive Director of Public Education Partners. “Books are the tools for reading. All children must have the tools to succeed.”
At the May 15th celebration, PEP supporters and members of the media will witness the smiling faces of students as they select their own books and are given PEP book-bags in which to store them. “When children are able to choose their own books, they are more likely to spend time reading for pleasure during the summer,” said Mullins.
Superintendent Burke Royster, PEP Executive Director Grier Mullins, and BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina Director of National Accounts Jim Shew will reflect on the impact that PEP’s Make Summer Count program is having on the lives of children in Greenville County. Students and teachers will be available to the media for comments.
PEP’s Make Summer Count program is made possible by the support of major donors such as BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina, Greenville Health System, Greenville Drive, Hollingsworth Funds, John I. Smith Charities, Jolley Foundation, and United Way of Greenville County. For more information on Make Summer Count and other PEP initiatives, please call 864-233-4133 or visit www.pepgc.org.
About Public Education Partners
Public Education Partners (PEP) collaborates with community partners to support and strengthen student achievement in Greenville, South Carolina. In addition, PEP fosters innovation and student success in schools and deepens connections between schools and the community.
