United Way of Wayne and Holmes Counties Partners with Local School Districts for Literacy Events

United Way of Wayne and Holmes Counties (UWWH) in partnership with local school districts is pleased to present Reading Under the Lights to the children of the communities served in Wayne and Holmes Counties. Reading Under the lights is as fun, as it is educational.

Reading Under the Lights is in its fourth year. It is an event that was created to assure that children have books to read over the summer months, which in turn reduces the summer slide. The summer slide is the tendency for students, especially those from low-income families, to lose some of the achievement gains they made during the prior school year. “We are excited to be partnering with the local school districts to bring this event to them at the end of a memorable school year.” Said Katie Koglman, Executive Director of UWWH. “Literacy is the cornerstone to learning at so many different levels of education. Doing an event focused around literacy is critical to the success of so many children.”

The Wooster event will be featuring a One Community One Book that will go home to each family that is titled “I am Enough”. This book is about loving who you are, respecting others, and being kind to one another. The author is actor and activist Grace Byers and talented artist Keturah A. Bobo. This book was kindly sponsored by PNC through a grant for the event. “The One Community One Book initiative is a shared reading experience that unites Wooster City Schools students, families and community.” said Karen Arbogast, Director of Elementary Education. “Each family (PK-4) will receive a copy of the book. This book embraces and celebrates the uniqueness of all individuals and sends a powerful message about believing in and loving who you are.”

The districts participating this year, include: Rittman, Triway, Wooster and Southeast will host their event this fall. With the districts that are participating almost 3,000 children will benefit from the Reading Under the Lights events. The events feature community members who come to read as “celebrities” of the community. Many local fire fighters, police officers, mayors, librarians, teachers and social services workers.



A big thank you to the sponsors of these events: Morton Salt, PNC, Mayor Bill and Donna Robertson, Mars Horsecare, Elks Lodge #1346, Stephen and Cheryl Shapiro, Clothing Warehouse, Grace Church, Remax (Lauren Mingay Team), JAFB, Buehlers, Boreman, Norton and Cook Wealth Partners, and Quailcrest Farms.