SAN DIEGO (KGTV) – Wednesday, Sept. 6, is National Reading Day -- and ABC 10News is encouraging kids in the San Diego area to pick up a book, thanks to donations from you!
For Andres Balcazar, picking a brand new book it’s just fun it’s exciting. He is one of many students at Smythe Elementary in San Ysidro who were recently able to take home six free books.
This was all paid for through the “If You Give a Child a Book” program which is funded through donations from viewers like you and sponsorships from North Island Credit Union, the Scripps Howard Fund, and ABC 10News.
Through this initiative, the students were given the opportunity to walk through a book fair, go through the displays, pick the books they liked, and pack them away in their backpacks.
Some ABC 10News team members were there helping them along the way, even finding their childhood favorites.
ABC 10News This Morning Anchor Jared Aarons said, "It's really cool to see that books I read like 40 years ago, kids are still reading now.”
And with each new book comes a new adventure, but teachers and staff said it’s also about giving these kids the tools they need to succeed.
Marlo Vasquez, with the San Ysidro School District says, “While we do have a lot of students reading at grade level, we have a large proportion of our students who are not, so providing these books and having them have access in the classroom is a huge deal that I know when we track the data it's going to have a huge impact on improving their reading levels.”
For more information on the If You Give a Child a Book program, including how to donate, visit https://www.10news.com/giveabook.
