Pic(s) Of The Day - 09.08.15 - Ribbon Cutting

We gathered at Legacy Southwest for t6he ribbon cutting ceremony for our first Reading Corner. A few months ago, Legacy Community Health started an initiative to make sure every child between the ages of 6 months and 5 years old received a book with every well child visit.

There is a direct correlation between a child's ability to read and their health. Additionally, in many under-served communities there is only 1 book per 300 children. As I have told people, if a family has a limited income and needs to decide between putting food on the table or purchasing a book, the decision is going to be food. I'm proud that we're helping put books in the hands of children.

Legacy's Little Readers

A Legacy volunteer reads to a young patient in a clinic waiting room.

Some people take for granted the simple fact that they can read and fully understand this blog post. Literacy is the key that opens educational and economic doors.

Imagine the opportunities you might have missed if you had not learned to read – and read well – from an early age. In Houston, three in five children don’t have reading-readiness skills when they enter kindergarten. Nationwide, nearly seven in ten fourth graders in public schools were reading below proficient levels in 2011.

We don’t want to let another opportunity pass by the 7,000 young children who will visit Legacy Community Health Services this year. Through the Legacy’s Little Readers program, each child will receive a free, age-appropriate book at doctor visits with a “reading prescription” for parents to read the books to their children. Parents trust the advice they receive from their child’s doctor, and Legacy’s Little Readers will promote literacy in the special setting of the pediatric health exam room.

You can help a young child get a head start on a successful educational journey by becoming a Legacy’s Little Readers Champion. We’re launching our first-ever social media campaign for this new initiative, and we need help spreading the word on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and more!

The Legacy’s Little Readers social media campaign will run March 1 through April 30. We will provide our champions pre-made social media messages, email templates and other creative ideas to help get friends and co-workers involved.

Share the love of reading by helping us write a prescription to read! Send me your name, email and phone number and I will provide you with more information. Send your contact information to: timmartinez77007@gmail.com