Volunteers read to more than 4,200 second-grade students

LUBBOCK, Texas (NEWS RELEASE) - Lubbock Area United Way will host its sixth annual United We Read event on October 26, 2023. More than 600 volunteers will be reading the same book simultaneously in every second-grade classroom in the ten school districts and two charter schools in Lubbock County. More than 4,200 students will participate in the event.

Volunteers and students will read Giraffes Can’t Dance by Giles Andreae and Guy Parker-Reese and participate in activities based on the book. Thanks to event sponsors, every child will go home with a copy of the book and a craft to accompany the story.

United Way’s Community Impact Director Libby Linker explained, “For the last six years, United We Read has been an event that has helped us drive awareness around the importance of grade-level reading. We hope that through United We Read, more families understand the importance of literacy and can share in the joy of reading and storytelling with their children.”

In addition to the book and the craft, parents, and caregivers will receive a reading guide, created by Texas Tech Public Media to accompany the story and United Way’s service guide that helps families connect with programs provided through the organization’s Community Partners.

United We Read is a part of Lubbock Area United Way’s Start Smart initiative. Start Smart is sponsored by Amerigroup, Atmos Energy, Covenant Children’s, H-E-B, First United Bank, Prosperity Bank, and United Supermarkets.

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