The Children's Literacy Project, a national organization dedicated to combating childhood illiteracy through community-led efforts, has launched a new initiative to mobilize Christian college and university students in addressing the literacy crisis in the U.S. The initiative kicked off with Literacy Service Day, an event held at Bushnell University in Eugene, OR.
“One in three 4th-graders in the United States are reading below basic levels,” said Tony Kriz, co-founder of The Children’s Literacy Project and author of READ: How God’s People Can Bring Justice Through Literacy. “The church has a crucial calling to support under-resourced children. By teaching them to read, Christians can help rescue an entire generation from poverty, prison, prostitution, addiction.”
The initiative aims to engage Christian colleges and universities nationwide by inviting Kriz as a guest speaker and hosting screenings of the documentary Sentenced, narrated by NBA star Stephen Curry. Co-produced by Curry and The Children’s Literacy Project, Sentenced presents the perspective of ethnically diverse adults and children who have never learned to read.
“Reading opens up jobs and future flourishing and opportunities,” said Rev. Troy Dean, Bushnell Campus Pastor and Associate Professor. “For faith-based institutions like the CIC and CCCU, this seems well-suited for our own sense of calling, vocation, and mission as organizations.”
For over a decade, The Children's Literacy Project has mobilized individuals, organizations, and churches to serve in public schools, transforming communities through literacy initiatives. Their grassroots approach has ignited movements in thousands of communities, with hundreds of thousands of volunteers stepping forward to mentor young readers in neighborhood schools.
