NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — Ten thousand.
That's how many free books NewsChannel 5 Gives and the Scripps Howard Fund has donated to area schools in book fairs for over five years now. In partnership with Scholastic Books, the Scripps Howard Fund will give away its one-millionth book this year.
NewsChannel 5 This Morning's Amy Watson recently visited with students and their parents at Nashville's Alex Green Elementary School to learn more about what opening a book means to them.
Dominick Kinner is a fourth grader and loves to read. He wants to go to the moon someday, but for now, he travels in books: "in the clouds and space and in a non-existent dimension!" Dominick said. He's always been a good reader, and Dominick's mom Latasha Kinner says reading fueled his imagination.
"They gain experiences that some of these students wouldn't have had," Latasha told Amy. "You don't have to physically travel to gain experiences. Sometimes all it takes is opening a book."
Dominick uses the school library almost every week, but Latasha says book fairs also connect him to other high-quality books she hopes will help him become a lifelong reader. At NewsChannel 5 book fairs, materials are sorted by grade level, and kids get to pick out any three books they want.
"It feels great! Super great!" Dominick told Amy.
Alex Green Elementary third grader Brayson Johnson also loves to learn, and appreciates the book fair.
"I know the book fair is very big and has books for all ages and it helps us learn to read," he said.
Brayson's mom Porshia Johnson says books given at the fairs introduce him to different subjects and stories, and because Brayson gets to keep them, he can reread the books whenever he wants at home.
"The opportunity to say hey, 'you can have three free books and you don't have to worry about it.' Some kids don't have a shelf of books like him and his brother do." Porshia said.
With your help, NewsChannel 5 Gives can get even more books into the hands of kids across the community. This year, the Nashville Predators are partnering with us to match donations up to $25,000. You can donate right now at this NewsChannel 5 link.
