NORTH LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — A couple thousand kids in Clark County have one more book to add in their library.
The kids received it Tuesday as part of KTNV's "If You Give A Child A Book" campaign.
Tuesday marked distribution day at Tom Williams Elementary School where K-5 students picked out the books the community helped purchase. This all started a year ago.
"The smiles on their faces, I can't wait for everybody to see," said Carrie Resbeck. "We're just counting down the minutes."
A first batch of kids picked out a brand new book to add for their home library, including 1st grader, Lily.
"I get to take it home and I get to keep it forever," Lily said.
This is the direct result of the community's donations through the campaign.
"Having books at home is the biggest indicator of success for a child's future," said Ally Fary, program manager of Spread the Word. "So something like this where we are able to give them books that they are able to read is so impactful and amazing for us to see."
At Tom Williams Elementary School, 2,300 books were handed out. The other 4,700 is expected to go to the other 55 schools in Clark County.
Folks with Spread the Word Nevada say half of the kids in Clark County could read at grade level before the pandemic. Now, it's only about 1 in 3.
"Without the community, we wouldn't be standing here today," said Reasbeck, principal at Tom Williams Elementary School. "So building those relationships not just with our communities close to the school but with Nevada and Southern Nevada as a whole is awesome."
And when it comes to giving books to little girls like Lily, you can’t go wrong.
If you would like to help, text "KTNV" to 50155. $5 goes into purchasing one book, or visit this website.
