Students in four second-grade classes at Vestavia Hills Elementary School East spent several weeks doing chores at home to earn money. The students brought their dollars to school on February 16 to use them to shop for books to give to at-risk students through Better Basics’ literacy programs.
Better Basics is a nonprofit organization that serves at-risk students in the community with programs to help struggling readers and to provide books to children who might not have access to books in their homes.
Emily Powell first introduced this program five years ago, and three more classes have joined in. Powell said, “This project is a great way to help teach several lessons. First, it teaches children about money. It also teaches the importance of giving and helping others. Finally, it helps children understand the value of working to earn money. It is just such a sweet project. I try to tell the children that by giving these books to children who need them, they are helping those children reach their dreams.”
The books given by the second-grade students will be utilized in the Better Basics MORE program. MORE stands for Motivators of Reading Enrichment and is a program designed to encourage fourth-grade students to read for pleasure. When a student reads a MORE program book and completes a book report, the student is then given a book to take home. For many of the students served by Better Basics, it is the first book they have ever owned. Last year alone, the MORE program provided more than 23,000 books to at-risk students in central Alabama.
For more information about Better Basics, visit betterbasics.org or call 944-2928.
– Submitted by Vestavia Hills Elementary East.
