Kids Need to Read Wins ECF of Boeing Arizona Crystal Vision Award

Mesa, AZ, February 12, 2016 --(PR.com)-- Kids Need to Read (KNTR) announced it has received the 2015 Employees Community Fund of Boeing Arizona (ECF Boeing AZ) Crystal Vision Award, a $30,000 annual grant provided to one organization to initiate a new project. Kids Need to Read put the funds toward the creation of The Page Coach, a mobile conveyor of literary treasure to children living in low socioeconomic neighborhoods in the Mesa/Phoenix metropolitan area and beyond.

Kids Need to Read has long dreamed of having a mobile outreach unit to connect with children through various organizations, including Boys and Girls Clubs, transitional homes, recreation centers, libraries, schools, and special events. ECF Boeing AZ has made this dream a reality by completely funding the purchase of a cargo van and vehicle wrap! Many of the children who will benefit from this program live in what could be called “book deserts”: neighborhoods and school systems so severely devoid of books and other reading materials that, without intervention, the cycle of illiteracy stands little chance of being broken. The Page Coach will serve thousands of children who lack adequate access to books, by providing inspiring reading resources and creative literacy programming directly to them.

The Crystal Vision Award is the fourth gift KNTR has received from ECF Boeing AZ, having previously received funding for the READ Together, Kids-N-Peace, and Reading Revolution programs. “Through programs such as yours, our community continues to grow stronger, and it is our hope that this contribution will enable continued success in your mission to provide the type of quality services known throughout the valley,” said ECF of Boeing AZ Grants Committee Chairperson Richard Hobby. “It is our privilege to have Kids Need to Read in the family of agencies that ECF funds.”

Kids Need to Read is honored to be the recipient of Employees Community Fund of Boeing Arizona's Crystal Vision Award and is excited to "hit the trail" with The Page Coach soon!

Kids Need to Read

Founded with a passion to improve the lives of disadvantaged children by providing inspiring book collections and engaging literacy programs to underfunded schools, libraries, and organizations across the nation, Kids Need to Read aspires to empower and embolden every last child through a culture of reading. For many of the children it serves, Kids Need to Read represents a crucial link to a strong literacy education, and its programs help build and nurture support systems that these children may be lacking elsewhere in their lives. By immersing children in an integrated world of literary experiences that teaches them, firsthand, the impact of reading on every aspect of life, imagination is ignited and confidence is built for a prosperous future, regardless of race, economic status, or personal capabilities.