‘Access for kids to be able to read’: Volunteers prep 8,000 books for local schools
By Maddie Augustine
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OMAHA, Nebraska (KETV) — More than 8,000 books are now ready to go home with Omaha Public Schools students. It’s thanks to Partnership 4 Kids’ day of service event.
The organization serves students in OPS from pre-k through college and their careers. Monday’s event was part of their Book Buddy literacy program.
“These books will go into at least 1,500 elementary students’ hands. they receive two books per month at a minimum,” Joanne Poppleton, senior program director at P4K, said. “Throughout the school year, they’re able to take home over 14 books for their home library. We have people from the community that bring the book into the school with them in the classroom, and they read this book with the students, and we also have a literacy activity that they do along with the students.”
All of the books prepped on Monday will be given to students at five Title 1 elementary schools in OPS.
Third grader Luke Roberts and his mom, Eva, were just two of more than 50 volunteers.
“I just want to make sure that he understands what Martin Luther King Day is about is not just a day off. It’s an honor. And we wanted to do something to contribute to our community,” Eva Roberts said. “We chose this because we love to read, and we want to make sure that kids all across Omaha have access to books.”
“Everybody can have the chance to read books, and because I think they’re helpful. They can learn a lot of things,” Luke said.
Other volunteers, like second grader Jackson Fourney and his mom, Katie, said they’re hoping to spread the love of reading to others.
“Jackson’s reading his way through the graphic novels at the library. And oftentimes when he’s supposed to be sleeping. I’ll catch them under his covers. Sleeping, reading a little bit later than he’s supposed to be. And he’ll come upstairs and just say, done and hand me a book. So, it’s exciting to be able to, spread the love of reading to other kids as well,” Katie Fourney said. “He came up to me earlier today. Say, he said, ‘I’m really glad you made me come today. I’m having fun.'”
Each month, P4K said they give students in their Book Buddy program a minimum of two brand-new books to take home.
“Throughout the school year, they’re able to take home over 14 books for their home library,” Poppleton said.
Poppleton said they’re working to achieve the district’s “Moonshot” goal of having every student in OPS reading at grade level by 2030, and for each book they choose to distribute, she said there’s a theme.
“Not only are they getting excited to take the book home and read it with their family members, they’re also learning about other areas in their life that they will use,” Poppleton said.
Volunteer and future education, Yasmin Urzua-Gutierrez, said increasing equity in education is important to her, and literacy is access to the world.
“When we talk about reading and like literacy rates often, like we get a statistic, and it’s like, oh, only 60% of kids can read, or 90% of kids can read, and like, hat 10% or that 40% is a huge difference,” Urzua-Gutierrez said. “Those are kids who are not going to be able to, you know, communicate well. And, and that potentially could lead to them not having as much job opportunities and then also access into higher education.”
The future educator said that’s why events like Monday are so vital.
“Opportunities like this are great for investing in kids’ futures, and especially here in our local Nebraska area, it’s so important to invest in our education and make sure that the kids who are growing up here are able to go out into the world and be real changemakers,” Urzua-Gutierrez said.
Partnership 4 Kids said they will have volunteer opportunities all year. If you would like to learn more about their mission or get involved, click here.
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