Every afternoon at dismissal, first grader Kingsley has the same hopeful question: “Do we have Freedom Readers today?” His excitement says it all. Through his participation in Freedom Readers, Kingsley has discovered that reading isn’t just something you have to do — it’s something you get to do.

His mom shares that he eagerly looks forward to new books and often chooses reading over other activities (even homework!). In fact, he’s even gotten into a little “good trouble” for reading during class when he was supposed to be working on something else – a testament to just how deeply he’s fallen in love with books.

Because of the dedicated volunteers who show up week after week, Kingsley isn’t just building literacy skills, he’s building confidence, curiosity, and a lifelong love of reading.

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