Book drive successful

Photo by Joseph Hollak

In conjunction with One by One Leadership, Fresno State student-athletes collected 1,170 children's book in a one month span for the inaugural ReadFresno Drive.

Gathering books  for children in grades kindergarten through third, the Bulldogs had book collections at the Fresno State-Hawai'i football game on Nov. 12 as well as a pair of book drives the first two weekends of December at men's and women's basketball games.

"I'm very proud of our SAAC members for taking on this project and helping the youth of our community," Fresno State Athletics Director Scott Johnson said.  " Fresno State student-athletes have a long legacy of giving back.  I want to thank Gunnar Avinelis (men's golf) for spearheading this project.  I also applaud our community for participating in this effort."

The Fresno State Student Athlete Advisory Council (SAAC) took on this endeavor to help promote the need for literacy and to help out so that every child can read at grade level by the end of the third grade. While Bulldog student-athletes helped lay the groundwork for the vision of ReadFresno, this endeavor is a four-site pilot project that will expand to a community-wide literacy initiative for children pre-kindergarten through third grade. The focus of this initiative will be on those children reading below grade level and targeting children in neighborhoods surrounding the 50 lowest-performing elementary schools in Fresno County.

Wanting to ensure young children have the literacy tools needed to succeed, ReadFresno showcased startling facts in the need for such a project:

• 92% of low-level readers in third grade will not go to college
• 61% of low-income families have no children's books in their homes
• 80% of the prison population are either low-level or non-readers
• CAT/6 Reading Scores for third graders:  80% scored below the national average
• STAR Language Arts for third graders:  81% scored below the "proficient level"

For more information, visit www.ReadFresno.org or contact Jacqueline Williams of One by One Leadership at 233-2000, ext. 127.