- FOX 47's annual "If You Give a Child a Book" campaign was able to give 300 students at Willow at Riddle Elementary five free books each.
- The school will also receive an additional 165 books.
- Video helps you spend the day with students as they receive their books.
(The following is a transcription of the full broadcast story)
Inside a classroom at Willow at Riddle Elementary School, the sound of students singing along filled the air as I read them a cute book.
The read-along was just the start of the excitement for the day as students were able to take home five books for free.
"They are always excited to take books home and be able to read them and just build that joy for reading," said first-grade teacher Julie Wethy.
It's not just this class that will be adding to their home library.
It's 300 students at this school as a whole.
Like first-grader Rogue who loves the book Pete the Cat I Love My White Shoes
"I read it and I imagine that I'm inside the book," Rogue said.
And third grader Micquel Hill,
"Some of my favorite books are those seed books and dinosaur books," Hill said.
None of this happened overnight.
All of this is thanks to FOX 47's annual "If You Give a Child a Book" campaign in partnership with the Scripps Howard Fund.
"So each of the employees at FOX 47 has helped to make donations to buy all of this and it's really crazy and a point of pride for all of us," said station manager Gary Baxter.
And we can't forget our sponsors at the Michigan Education Trust and their mascot Whoodini.
"Anything you can do to help a child love to read and have that lifelong education goal is a good thing," said Heather Barthelmes of Michigan Education Trust.
As the kids left the classroom with more tools to add to their reading toolbox, we were reminded that we all play a part in helping them succeed
"Whether they're reading to you, whether you're reading to them, whether they are reading to a stuffed animal, or to like a family member, the more that they can read the more fluent reading they'll be able to apply," Wethy said.
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