DETROIT, Mich. (WXYZ) — The sound of happiness echoed through the hallways at Detroit Edison Public School Academy on Wednesday morning.
"It is emotional for me because this just motivates them to read," said first grade teacher Kortne Dickson"All of these books are going to give them something definitely going to give them some power, some knowledge and whatever it may be," added first Grade teacher Kortne Dickson.
You could see the smiles through the masks and the awe in the eyes of these joyful first graders as they picked out their books.
Students in Audrey Martial's first-grade class were thrilled. "I am excited to see that they have a different variety of books, and it makes me excited to see the excitement in their eyes too," said first grade teacher Audrey Martial.
From first through fifth grade, 685 students at Detroit Edison Public School Academy received five books each for free! "I said, 'guess what? They're free! You guys don't have to pay for them thanks to Channel 7.' They were super excited!" Kortne Dickson said.
Employees at WXYZ-TV and TV-20 Detroit, along with the Scripps Howard Foundation, have made it their mission to get high-quality books to children in our community through the "If You Give A Child A Book" campaign.
On top of the hundreds of books donated, 155 additional books were also donated to the Detroit Edison Public School Academy Library.
United Way of Southeastern Michigan and Scholastic helped distribute the age-appropriate books. The books are specific to each school that has been chosen to be part of the drive.
With collected funds and with a matching contribution from the Scripps Howard Foundation, we are able to give 10,829 books to over 2,000 children in the community this year, which will generate nearly 2 million minutes of reading time for our local kids.
If you'd like to donate toward next year's campaign, click here.
