NEWS RELEASES > JANUARY 17, 2024
McHENRY, Jan. 17, 2024 — National studies reflect when kids struggle with reading, they risk the potential to fall behind in every subject in school. Follett Content Solutions – provider of educational materials to PreK-12 libraries, classrooms, learning centers and school districts in the United States – is committed to literacy advocacy. Whether donating books annually to Bernie’s Book Bank or providing college scholarships to local students, that mission extends well beyond McHenry County as this week Follett’s Content Business announced it is partnering with a service club in the state of Washington on a third-grade literacy program to promote strong reading skills.
The Rotary Club of Camas-Washougal, which helps those in need through community service projects and scholarships, has stepped up its annual literacy program by partnering with Follett to provide baskets of age-appropriate books for third-grade students.
The program – touching 35 classrooms and more than 800 students in the two Washington communities – takes on greater significance this year in the wake of that state’s latest standardized test results, which show just 50 percent of students are reading at grade level.
“We are so pleased the Rotary Club of Camas-Washougal reached out to us to help with its admirable program to promote students’ love of reading,” said Britten Follett, CEO, Follett Content Solutions. “We salute the local Rotarians for helping these 800 students discover the magic of books, whether they read them in their classrooms or share memories with their families.”
Follett is no stranger to children’s reading partnerships in Washington as it has long worked with PageAhead, a Seattle-based children’s literacy program, and Seattle Public Schools. As part of the Seattle partnerships, annually more than 130,000 books were distributed to kids, many from low-income families, to help stem summer reading loss and build at-home libraries.
In addition to literacy outreach programs, Follett gives back to the communities it serves through charitable giving. In 2023 alone, among the local organizations benefited by Follett included FISH (Friends in Service Here) of McHenry, Communities That Care, Turning Point of McHenry, McHenry County Conservation District, and NAMI Illinois (National Alliance on Mental Illness).
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