Celebrate Giving Tuesday with Literacy Mid-South
Opportunities to give time and resources to support literacy in Memphis
On Tuesday, November 29, 2022, Literacy Mid-South (LMS) will join countless nonprofits, businesses, and individuals in celebrating Giving Tuesday, a global generosity movement that unleashes the power of radical generosity around the world.
To prepare for Giving Tuesday, LMS is sharing ways Memphians can use their resources and time to support the organization’s vision of 100% literacy in the Mid-South.
Support LMS’s book distribution efforts
One of the most important ways to support a child’s reading development is through access to a rich variety of developmentally appropriate books. Unfortunately, this is not the reality for many families.
In a 2001 study, education researchers Susan B. Neuman and Donna Celano found that in an average middle-income neighborhood there were 13 books for every child, compared to one book for every 300 children in an average low-income neighborhood.
A 2018 analysis of diversity in children’s books by the Cooperative Children’s Book Center at University of Wisconsin-Madison found that a higher percentage of children’s books published that year featured animals as the protagonist than all BIPOC main characters combined. Additionally, half of all books published that year featured white protagonists, while less than 25% featured BIPOC main characters.
An MSCS elementary student reads a book from LMS’s Book Vending Machine
Literacy Mid-South’s resource distribution efforts work to address these book deserts. In the most recent fiscal year (ending June 2022), the organization distributed over 100,000 books to Memphis families through LMS’s network of partners and unveiled the city’s first Book Vending Machine.
“Books transmit values and influence self-esteem in children,” said Executive Director Sam O’Bryant, III. “As we distribute books throughout Memphis, we strive to only include brand new, developmentally appropriate books that positively reflect the multiple and intersecting identities of the communities and individuals we serve.”
To support these efforts to ensure every child has access to a literacy-rich environment, go to literacymidsouth.org/donate.
Become a volunteer
For those looking to give their skills and time for Giving Tuesday, consider volunteering as an adult literacy tutor with Literacy Mid-South’s Adult Learning Program (ALP).
LMS’s Learner Council celebrates the Dollar General Foundation’s Yellow Glasses Project.
The ALP connects volunteer tutors with adults looking to improve their reading or English language skills. You don’t have to be a trained educator to make a difference in someone’s life. If you’re a comfortable reader and fluent in English, you can be trained to be a tutor!
To learn more about volunteering with the ALP and sign up for an info session, click here.
About Literacy Mid-South
The mission of Literacy Mid-South is to provide literacy resources to learners of all backgrounds and ages. The breadth of this work encompasses a number of programs and goals, all working towards one end: 100% literacy in the Mid-South. Through a combination of strategies including collaborative action, capacity building, resource distribution, and tutoring services, LMS works to ensure learners across the lifespan have access to the literacy resources they need to live their best life. Learn more about Literacy Mid-South and the organization’s programs here.
