October 19, 2022

The Kings Park Community Center, After School Program, boys’ reading group assisted the center staff with unpacking, sorting and displaying a large donation of brand new books from the Community Foundation of Central Georgia, Linda Harriet Lane Fund for a Pilot Empowerment Literacy Program that will serve all youth in the historical Kings Park Community.

The community has been identified as a “book desert” which are concentrated in low-income communities across the U.S. that lack access to educational equity and books. Prior to the Covid-19 pandemic the youth in these communities were disadvantaged: and, the closing of schools, remote learning, isolation, lack of access to digital technology; and, subsequent academic and Covid-19 memory regression for vulnerable children in low-income, disenfranchised communities is exacerbated.

Kelvin Middleton, CEO/Founder, of MGB Inc., states, “Books are critical and access to those resources is one of the greatest contributors to educational equity. Research shows that just the presence of books in the home improves education outcomes. Books and resources impact everything from psychological wellbeing to academic performance, but kids in need don’t have that advantage. Therefore, MGB Inc. must advocate for the kids in Kings Park and develop community partnerships that will address that critical gap.” Six months ago, there were no new, culturally-diverse, age appropriate or gender-specific reading materials in the Kings Park Community.

Today, the library includes a diverse compilation of authors such as Barack and Michele Obama, Beyonce’, Disney, Ryan Shazier, Amanda Gorman, Russell Wilson and Ciara Wilson, Chelsea Clinton, Stephen Curry, Lebron James, Shaquille O’Neil, and Coretta Scott King. Mr. Middleton states that is essential to build a community library, in Kings Park, offering 10-20 books per student in the After School Program that reflect the diverse and unique stories of our students; and, that we develop a “lending library” so the students can take the books home and encourage others in the home to share the love of reading together.

Taking a Well-Deserved Break and Having a Snack!

Note: The Community Foundation of Central Georgia was founded in 1993 by a group of citizens interested in encouraging philanthropy and strengthening communities. Since then, the foundation has awarded more than $100 million in grants. Our donors make possible the foundation’s mission to enhance the quality of life for the people of Central Georgia. To learn more, visit cfcga.org.