Donate today to supply books to KC students

A donation today helps bring books to Kansas City children.

A virtual book drive in Kansas City aims to put one book in the hands of every Kansas City Public Schools student before the school year ends.  

A recent regional focus on summer reading loss motivated several local non-profits and government agencies to work together to organize the drive. Research shows that students who participate in summer reading activities will lose less of any progress made during the school year. Students in low-income families can lose two months or more of reading progress, which plays a key role in widening the achievement gap between lower-income and middle-class children.

One problem for many kids: simply not having enough books. In fact, the greatest barrier to children’s literacy in the U.S. — including right here in Kansas City — is lack of access to books. 

That’s why the Local Investment Commission, the Kansas City Federation of Teachers and School-Related Personnel, the Kansas City Public Library, and the Mayor’s Office are partnering with First Book, an award-winning nonprofit that provides children with quality new books at deeply reduced prices. Our aim: to get books to Kansas City kids who need them this summer, and encourage all our children to keep reading over the summer months.

Your tax-deductible donation, no matter the size, will go a long way towards reaching that goal. For example: a $10 donation supplies four books for a child to read over the summer. A $50 donation supplies 20 books. 

Our kids don’t have to slip backward in reading this summer. We can prevent “the summer setback.”

Donate today. Let’s make this a summer of reading for all Kansas City kids.

97% of donations provide new books for children in need.