LEXINGTON, Ky. (LEX 18) — It's a firsthand lesson in the power of reading.
Students at a Lexington elementary school were treated to a free book fair Monday.
And it's all thanks to your generous donations to the "If You Give a Child a Book" campaign.
Last year, the LEX18 team partnered with the Scripps Howard Foundation to ask for donations to provide books for kids who need them the most. The community helped raise more than $20,000.
Students at William Wells Brown elementary school know the value of reading. One kindergarten student, Elijah Gillis, shared, "You can learn about words and pictures."
For the first time, this elementary school is partnering with the Scripps Howard Foundation to host a free book fair as a part of the "If You Give a Child a Book" initiative that will encourage students to keep reading.
"The excitement of the kids is infectious," Library Media Specialist, Lakeitha Brooks, says. "The parents know that the literature is coming home, and they're able to read with their children, and in the long-term, that is going to be very beneficial for them."
Nearly 300 students at this elementary school will get to pick books that they can take home and enjoy.
Brooks says, "It was sponsored for us and so that is also why the students are very excited because this is a gift to them and they do understand that, and they are very happy to receive it."
This school's leaders say they're working to put an emphasis on reading by getting kids excited and sharing stories together.
"We could not do what we do without our community partners," says Ebony Hutchinson, the school's principal. "Partners who come in to volunteer, those who are donating books -- so that we are able to provide to students not only in school but at home as well."
The Scripps Howard Foundation and E. W. Scripps employees hope to spread a little joy through these book fairs. More than 861,000 dollars were raised for the scholastic books and events nationwide.
