United Way of Central Indiana will be donating books and hosting a reading event this week at the Putnam County Public Library for Reading Day Across America.
United Way’s Real Men Read program volunteers will read to children and families from 4-5 p.m. Thursday, March 3 in the Children’s Room of the Library. The program will feature a double-header reading of “Be You!” by Peter Reynolds and “The Good Egg” by Jory John and Pete Oswald.
During Thursday’s event, families will be able to take home free copies of the books on a first-come, first-served basis to add to their children’s personal libraries. Books will continue to be distributed after the event while supplies last.
Early childhood education is a major goal of United Way of Central Indiana. For seven years, United Way has operated the Real Men Read program in Putnam County, which provides story time events and free books to all kindergarten classes in the county.
United Way also runs the ReadUP program, which for 14 years has sent volunteers to area schools to read with third-grade students who are lagging behind in their literacy skills. The third year is considered an important step that marks the transition from learning to read to reading to learn.
In total, United Way will donate approximately 2,000 books to students in grades one through three for Reading Day across America, sending books to two Indianapolis charter schools and libraries in the Boone, Hamilton, Hancock, Hendricks, Morgan and Putnam counties.
