This past Sunday I joined Dallas Can Do Better in their Road to Reading program at Dallas County central jail. One Sunday per month, DCDB heads to Lew Sterrett with boxes of books in tow to pass out to children waiting in line to visit their incarcerated relative. In addition to passing out books (ranging from toddler to teen reading level), we provide brochures to Parents containing inspirational stories, as well as information stressing how important reading is for children. The visitation line often wraps around the building, causing children and families to wait for long periods of time before they are able to visit the incarcerated. DCDB provides bookmarks for children to color during that time, as well as volunteers eager to read books to the kids.

I’ve volunteered with DCDB on both Road to Reading occassions that have taken place so far. Each time has been a great success, with a total of over 200 books handed out to children each visit. The first time visiting the jail, I really didn’t know what to expect. Much to my delight, the children were ecstatic to be receiving books and the parent’s seemed to be just as grateful. Seeing the children so enthusiastic and interested about picking out a book to read, left me beaming with excitement! It’s truly a great, indescribable feeling to be able to help a child out and hopefully brighten their future.

I was overjoyed to hear most of the children talk about their favorite books and what they like to read at home. However, I did meet a few children who owned little to no books at all. If you’re a parent reading this, I urge you to encourage your children to read. Dallas Public Library provides hundreds of spectacular books for children to check out. Reading has such a powerful impact on a child’s life; it’s not something to be taken lightly. According to the article “Reading: The Most Powerful Social Force in America” by Jim Trelease, the knowledge of almost every subject in school flows from reading. The article focuses on the positive and negative effects reading may have on an individual. I found the following four statements made by Trelease to be very interesting:

1. The less you read, the less you know.
2. The less you know, the more likely you’ll drop out of school.
3. The sooner you drop out, the sooner and longer you are poor.
4. The sooner you drop out, the greater your chances of going to jail.

Trelease also states, 70 to 82 percent of prison inmates are school dropouts, and 60 percent of inmates are illiterate to semi-illiterate.

Ultimately, it is a joint effort of DCDB’s Road to Reading program and Dallas Public Library’s Every Child Ready to Read program, to promote the importance of literacy to the children of America.