One of the most important skills children will learn early in their lives is how to read. The ability to read opens new doors and exposes them to new ways of thinking and ideas, grows their imagination, and shows them nothing is out of their grasp. However, far too many children go without proper reading education and often struggle with this ability well into grade school. The need to have a strong grasp on the English language is critical in just about everything else they’ll go on to do in their lives, which is why nonprofit organizations like Literacy Mid-South are so important. And under the leadership of Knox Shelton, Literacy Mid-South looks to deliver more books and more material to children throughout greater Memphis.
Knox Shelton’s vision for Literacy Mid-South
Back in December 2016, Literacy Mid-South announced Knox Shelton would take over as executive director after being with the nonprofit organization since July of the previous year. Since his move to executive director, he has taken on the task of creating a five-year strategic plan to help guide Literacy Mid-South into the future and improve its ability to raise awareness, bring in more donations and offer more services to the community.
One of Knox Shelton’s first initiatives after joining the organization was its Summer Reading Initiative. In his first year, the program expanded from 1,000 students to 2,500 students. Within the program, students received reading intervention and assistance to improve their reading skills, as well as offer them guidance in reading materials. All of this is designed to boost both reading ability and the overall education level for children in the region. An improvement in a child’s reading ability will improve their potential to grasp additional educational concepts throughout childhood.
Read901
Recently, Literacy Mid-South started up a new program known as Read901. The program offers literacy classes, resources and individual tutoring to local children throughout Memphis. The aim is to help advance the local reading levels of children, especially those who are currently at a third-grade reading level.
Literacy Mid-South continues onward
The nonprofit organization Literacy Mid-South continues to offer its educational and literary programs to children. It has done so for more than 40 years now as it looks for new ways to connect with the community. With the help of Knox Shelton and others throughout Memphis, the organization will grow and thrive, which is important for the region’s youth. If you are interested in helping and want to know what you can do to improve reading, writing and other fundamental programs throughout Memphis, check out the Literacy Mid-South website. There you’ll find an extensive list of the different ways you can give back to the local community.
