At Linden Elementary School, one simple Facebook post turned into a community-wide effort to put books into the hands of students. Wanting every summer school student to leave with three to four new books of their own, Linden media specialist Traci Roca shared a request for support online — hoping to gather donations over several months. Instead, the response came almost immediately from community partners eager to help make the idea a reality.
Representatives from Amazon, Delta Dental of Tennessee, and the Governor’s Early Literacy Foundation gathered at Linden Elementary this week to present an initial donation of books, with more expected to follow. The partnership was sparked through Delta Dental of Tennessee’s “60 Moments of Surprise Smiles” campaign, which celebrates the organization’s 60th anniversary through acts of kindness across the state.
Leaders from the Governor’s Early Literacy Foundation emphasized the importance of helping students build strong reading skills early in life, noting that access to books and excitement about reading can have a lasting impact on academic success and future opportunities.
The goal of the initiative is simple: help students head into summer excited about reading and learning, while giving families the opportunity to build small home libraries that encourage literacy long after the school year ends.
View the full story from WBIR Channel 10.
