SOUTHEAST SPRINGS, Colo. (KOAA) — Third graders at Rogers Elementary have been receiving free books through the Scripps Howard Fund's "If You Give a Child a Book" campaign since they were in kindergarten and the impact is showing.
"Reading means to me that it is for like everyone. Reading is like almost everywhere," Harry Duncan, a third grader at Rogers Elementary, said.
The campaign works to put free books in the hands of kids who may not otherwise have access to them. For students like Zeus Hughes, those books have sparked a genuine love of reading.
"I like to read animal books and sometimes sport books, and I also like to read some scary books," Hughes said.
Hughes said those books do more than just teach him, they inspire him.
"They make me feel like I wanna go to like the zoo or go in like a stadium and watch my favorite people play," Hughes said.
For third grader Lionel Coleman, reading at home has become a shared experience with his family.
"I'll go to the living room and sit next to my mom while I read just in case I get stuck on a word then she can help me," Coleman said.
Coleman said that closeness means everything to him.
"My favorite part about having my mom with me when I read is that I don't feel so alone," Coleman said.
For Clementine Walker, books are helping her open another door. The third grader has been learning Spanish since first grade and said reading in both languages has allowed her to help her classmates.
"It's helped me because when my classmates are struggling in English so then I can like talk to them in Spanish and help them," Walker said.
Walker also shared her thoughts on reading in Spanish.
“I like reading because it's really important to learn for the next grade levels.”
Devorah Heath, the library technician educator at Rogers Elementary, has watched these students grow.
"It's been so exciting to see them just, you know, learning their letters and to now they can actually read a chapter book," Heath said.
Heath said access to books outside of school is critical.
"We try to have good books in the library, but it's here they only get to come here once a week. But having access to books at home is just so important," Heath said.
Three years ago, Heath launched the Million Minute Challenge, which encourages kids and families to read at home with a goal of reaching one million minutes read by May. The students are already setting their sights on the leaderboard.
"Last year I got in 4th place in the million minutes challenge," Duncan said.
“My goal? To get at least to 10th place in the million-minute challenge," Eric Llamas Estrada, another third grader, said.
When asked what he would say to the people who continue to bring books to students like him, Llamas Estrada had a simple message.
"Thank you for the books. And I hope you have really good luck. God bless you," Llamas Estrada said.
