ST. LOUIS – Ready Readers, a non-profit organization in the St. Louis area, is launching a 24-hour online fundraising campaign Wednesday to celebrate World Read Aloud Day.
The campaign aims to raise $200,000 within 24 hours, with matching donors set to quadruple each donation. The funds will support Ready Readers’ Story Time program, which serves over 16,000 children by promoting strong literacy skills.
“It also has powerful impacts on their brain development,” said Angela Spittal, the Executive Director of Ready Readers. “We know that kids who read aloud count higher; they’re more likely to learn how to read, to read faster. There are incredible, powerful impacts on their brain and social-emotional development.”
Volunteers from Ready Readers visit schools year-round to read to children, enhancing their literacy and social-emotional skills. The campaign will feature various books being read aloud to engage the community and encourage donations.
The fundraising event will run from 2 p.m. Wednesday until 2 p.m. Thursday, with proceeds directly benefiting the Story Time program.
All facts from this article were gathered by KTVI journalists. This article was converted into this format with assistance from artificial intelligence. It has been edited and approved by KTVI staff.