United Way of the Coastal Empire is promoting early childhood literacy and celebrating the importance of reading by donating books to thousands of children throughout the region as part of Read United.  On Friday, February 25th, hundreds of volunteers visited 29 schools throughout the region to distribute books and read stories to children.

Through this year’s initiative, volunteers read to 335 classrooms and distributed more than 8,000 books to children ranging from Pre-K to 2nd Grade throughout schools in Bryan, Effingham, and Liberty Counties. Teachers in those classrooms also received a book to add to their classroom library.  

“Early childhood literacy is critical to future success and through this community-wide collaboration, we seek to bridge gaps by putting books in the hands of children and inspiring a love for reading,” says Brynn Grant, President & CEO, United Way of the Coastal Empire. “We are excited about expanding Read United into Chatham County in 2023 and we are looking for partners to help us make it happen.”

This year’s Read United theme is Kindness Matters and the books distributed to students are related to that theme. United Way extends sincere thanks to all of our volunteers and community partners for making this event possible. A special thank you to the Liberty County Board of Education for funding this important initiative in Liberty County.  

Learn more at www.uwce.org/readunited.