Ooltewah High School senior Hope Clay, 17, works with other volunteers to sort and label books for the Hamilton County Department of Education’s summer reading program while at United Way’s downtown Chattanooga office.The United Way of Greater Chattanooga implores children to read, and it’s providing new books to help them do it.
“We believe when kids can read they will be more successful in life,” said Elizabeth Tallman, the United Way’s associate director of community impact.
The United Way of Greater Chattanooga bought 3,000 books that will be distributed in area reading centers within walking distance of nearly every child in Chattanooga.
All neighborhood reading centers should be stocked and ready to open by Saturday, Tallman said.
Most reading centers are in the city’s youth and family development centers. Other locations include The Public Library, the Creative Discovery Museum, Greenwood Terrace Apartments, New City Fellowship East Lake and the North River YMCA.