United Way of the Plains and Wichita State University’s Men’s Basketball team are collaborating with Coaching For Literacy to support local childhood literacy.
WSU will host the #Fight4Literacy game against Houston on Thursday, February 18th to raise funds and awareness for United Way’s local efforts.
According to the United Way, 63% of third grade students in Kansas are not reading at grade level, and students who are not reading at grade level by the time they reach the fourth grade are four times more likely to drop out of school.
Donations received through the #Fight4Literacy campaign will be used to purchase and distribute age-appropriate books and supplies to kids through several programs.
United Way of the Plains sponsors Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library which sends new, age-appropriate books to kids aged 1 to 5 years old every month, free of charge. Additionally, United Way of the Plains and Wichita Public Schools partnered to create United Way’s Women United affinity group that organizes community volunteers to coach third grade students who are struggling with their reading skills. These coaches meet weekly with a student to provide intervention tactics to help them improve.
You can donate online at unitedwayplains.org/literacy, or you can mail a check payable to United Way of the Plains (With “Fight 4 Literacy” in the memo line) to 245 N. Water St. Wichita, KS 67202.
