Appalachian Literacy Initiative is a 501(c)3 based out of Bristol, TN, and founded in 2018. Our mission is to give children quality books and share a love of reading.
Last year, Appalachian Literacy Initiative (ALI) gave out over 10,000 books. Next year our goal is to double that.
Around third grade, schools shift from teaching students to read to teaching other subjects through reading. Eighty-three percent of low-income students do not read at proficient level by the end of third grade. If they don’t reach proficiency by the end of fourth grade, they are four times more likely than their proficient classmates to drop out of high school.
Under-privileged children lack access to books. Library access is often limited or unreachable in rural communities. Sixty-one percent of low-income students have no books at all in their own homes. Studies show that increasing access to books increases reading levels and decreases high school dropout rates.
Teach a child to read and they will make it through school; give them the love of reading and they will be lifelong students. When students choose their own books, they are five times more likely to read the entire book. They are twice as likely to comprehend it. By giving children books of their own, ALI is helping them read their way to success. Although poverty and functional illiteracy are large obstacles in the Appalachian region, we at ALI believe that books move mountains.
To contact us, email appalachianlit@gmail.com. Thank you for being part of our mission.
Appalachian Literacy Initiative 