In October, United Way received a grant from First Books and OMG Books for more than $17,000. United Way recently distributed the grant money to Frenship, Lubbock, Lubbock-Cooper, and Shallowater Independent School Districts. Frenship ISD teachers and administrators determined that kindergarten and first-grade classrooms would greatly benefit from this grant by building classroom libraries. The grant money awarded to Frenship provided 876 new books—16 for every Kindergarten class and 15 for every first-grade class. Overall, 80 teachers received books for their classroom!

Instructional Technology Coordinator, Laurie Bruns said, “I am constantly impressed by the generosity of United Way, and the importance they place on reading and literacy. Their values match our District values, and they provide our schools with resources to support our students' success.”

United Way knows that early literacy is extremely important to the success of young learners. Putting books into the hands of children is the most effective way to encourage reading at any age. In their Annual Report, United Way wrote, “Research indicates that just the presence of books in the home improves educational outcomes, yet low-income communities across the U.S. are plagued by vast ‘book deserts’—areas in which there may be as little to one book per as many as 830 children.” United Way is on mission to provide books to every community in Lubbock and the South Plains.

We are grateful for the United Way and how they are constantly supporting our community!