For the Love of Reading

The Program Basics:

Our program takes on a model conducive with encouraging children to enjoy book choice and reading. Major components of the program include:

Book giveaways on a grade-level basis. Children can choose two books at each giveaway.·

Volunteer readers in as many classrooms as possible. These readers work with teachers to find a weekly time to read quality, vetted books to t

he class.·

Emphasis on the importance of choosing books to read for pure enjoyment.·

Commitment to bringing new or like-new books for our book giveaways, as every child should feel that he or she is acquiring a special item of their own.·

Dedication to providing a wide variety of book genres and topics as well as high quality and developmentally appropriate book choices.·

Maximization of used book donations through McKay’s Used Books credit; turning used books into like-new choices. Our History:
In 2016, Beth Scoonover began taking steps to bring a vision to reality. She wanted to bring to life the world of books for the children at Christenberry Elementary. She found immediate enthusiasm and support from her faith community, Crossings. This initiative has now developed into a full program called “For the Love of Reading”, and it has grown considerably over the past several years. Beth now recruits and coordinates volunteers to read to students in 1st, 2nd, and 3rd grade at Christenberry Elementary School every week. And the book distribution has expanded to 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 5th grades—providing over 1000 books to children in the 2018-2019 school year alone! Our Vision:
For the Love of Reading is an innovative approach to address the needs of children in our community. Less than 40% of children are reading at or above grade level by third grade in Knox County Schools. And while the schools (teachers and administration) are working hard to address this issue, the community can also play a role. While teachers are focused on helping children develop the skills they need to read, For the Love of Reading comes alongside teachers and administrators to help instill in students the intrinsic love for picking up a good book. If children are self-motivated readers, their limits are boundless! In partnership with teachers, administration, and staff, this initiative strives to inspire the love of reading in children, so that their imaginations might soar and their success in school might blossom as they hear and read more and more fantastic stories. After speaking with educators at other Knox County schools, we know that there is a felt need for this kind of program to expand.