CLEVELAND — Meaningful and mentally stimulating moments can be found when you open a book.
Sadly, we know many children in Northeast Ohio do not have that opportunity with their own books at home.
What's so exciting is our “If You Give A Child A Book” campaign is writing a different story.
It's a collaboration with the Scripps Howard Fund, News 5, and our Northeast Ohio community.
Today, as we launch our external fundraising effort, I'm taking you inside Wade Park School in Cleveland to see the positive impact of your generosity, firsthand.
I was there when excited students got to shop at the Scholastic Book Fair at no cost.
I witnessed those milestone moments when Elyria native Dav Pilkey sent hundreds of copies of his international best-selling series, "Dog Man," to children at the Stephanie Tubbs Jones School in 2023.
But it's in those moments that were not caught on camera, in the classroom at Wade Park school and at home, when the power of our push to get books in the hands of more children starts to emerge.
Reading skills improve, and dreams are realized.
"The reason why I really like reading is because I want to be a lawyer when I grow up, and I want to help people," said Mi'lysa Hubbard, a 5th grader.
For more than a decade now, the Scripps Howard Fund has partnered with several schools and non-profit literacy organizations to improve access to books.
"I think that's really cool, and I'm really thankful for the books," said Hubbard.
Hubbard, along with her classmate Charles Gresham, was able to take home five new titles each thanks to the continued generosity of our community.
"I read some to my little brother, and he liked the books. I like them because people actually donated the books to help us get books, to help us keep a sharp mind," said Gresham.
For 10-year-old Kahmylah Kelley Pinson-Gresham, the more words the better.
"I got three chapter books and two reading books," she said.
I asked her what she likes about the chapter books.
“It's a lot of chapters. A lot of chapters. And I like ‘Dog Man’," said Pinson-Gresham.
Erica Colvin is a fifth-grade teacher at Wade Park, and she tells me it's all about opportunity.
"They have the opportunity to choose books that that are high interest to them. They get to choose what they want to read and they've been building their at home libraries over the years," said Colvin.
Her scholars received ten books from two fairs last year.
"And we also encourage them to get like, one journal because we know that there's reciprocity between writing and reading," said Erica.
A new addition is on the way to the halls of this school; a book vending machine will be installed this fall.
Leftover funding from the fairs covers the cost.
Readers will earn a token to take home their favorite title.
"Maybe a scholar has been looking at that vending machine and says I'm going to earn, I'm going to get that book when it's my turn," said Erica.
With many children in Cleveland living in poverty, without this outreach, it would be challenging for students to curate an at-home library.
"No matter your gift, how big, how small, I want to say thank you to the viewers. Thank you for seeing the value in in our school and in our students," said Erica.
