INDIANAPOLIS — Reading takes you places and opens doors to new opportunities and experiences.
That's why WRTV, along with our parent company, E.W. Scripps, is proud to support the If You Give a Child a Book literacy campaign.
Thanks to generous donations by our community and staff members in 2020, we are able to donate more than 1,000 books to students at Urban Act Academy on Indianapolis' near east side.
The $15,747 dollars raised helps to fund book donations at Urban Act Academy and South Elementary School in Martinsville.
Each student at Urban Act Academy, from Pre-K through 8th grade is receiving four books each, which totals 1,230 books and more than 221,000 reading minutes.
Urban Act Academy is also getting $3,075 in Scholastic dollars for the school's library and classrooms.
Kendall Ledford is in third grade. Friday was an exciting day in his classroom.
"I like to read and I just got this book and I'm already on page 85," Ledford said, who showed off his book. "It's basically about this mouse city and its like the sewers, they are going into the sewers."
He said when he goes home he will continue to read his new book for a couple of hours at least.
Literacy is a big focus at Urban Act Academy. This school recently added a Reading Specialist position.
This staff member works to update their school library by removing the Dewey Decimal system and sorting books by age appropriateness and reading level.
Assistant Principal Angela Brito de Rodriguez said this donation makes a big impact on these kids.
"At Urban Act, we truly believe that everything we do is because we are a community together so we are super grateful for every single sponsor and funder that have allowed our kids to have access to these books today," she said. "It is an essential part of the work we are doing."
To donate to our next literacy campaign and to help get more books in the hands of students in central Indiana, please visit WRTV.com/GiveABook
