World Literacy Foundation and Atmosphere Press Support Salvation Army’s Summer Reading Program
By Danielle McColloster
The Salvation Army has partnered with the World Literacy Foundation (WLF) and Atmosphere Press to enhance its summer reading initiative for children. This collaboration aims to bridge the achievement gap among youth from different socio-economic backgrounds by providing essential resources and support.
The World Literacy Foundation generously donated books, while Atmosphere Press supplied bags to 16 Red Shield Youth Center locations across Texas. This initiative is part of The Salvation Army’s Rocket Red Shield Reading program, which is designed to make reading enjoyable and engaging for students in grades K-5.
“The Salvation Army is so grateful for the generous book donation from the World Literacy Foundation,” said Alesia Lane, Director of The Salvation Army Red Shield Youth Centers – Texas Division. “This summer, their contribution played a key role in our Summer Reading Contest, helping us encourage young people across Texas to stay engaged, boost their imagination and prevent learning loss during the break. Through academic camps, reading clubs and take-home books provided by WLF, we were able to make reading both fun and impactful for hundreds of children. Their support truly helped us make this our coolest summer yet!”
Research indicates that without continued academic practice over the summer, young people can lose an average of two months’ worth of reading skills. This summer learning loss can accumulate year after year, further widening the achievement gap between lower- and higher-income youth. The Rocket Red Shield Reading program addresses this issue by fostering a love for reading through various activities and interactive challenges.
“I usually don’t read much over the summer, but getting this book for free made it easy to start. I actually finished it in a few days and now I want to read more books,” said 15-year-old Jasmine. “Getting a free book for the summer was awesome—especially because I could use it for the Red Shield Rocket Reading Contest. It made it more fun to read, and I actually wanted to keep reading to try and win the contest!” said 11-year-old Michael.
The Salvation Army remains committed to empowering youth through education and literacy. For more information about The Salvation Army’s Red Shield Youth Center programs, please visit salvationarmytexas.org.
