After COVID school closures came and went, test scores showed that Memphis literacy rates had fallen significantly. As of today, one in ten school-age children in Memphis are reading on grade level. Is that a scary statistic? Sure. Will Memphians take it sitting down? No way.
If you’re ready to get involved in giving this holiday season, here are some sure-fire ways to support school-age kids and raise strong readers. Choose a movement and make a difference!
Give One Gift, Support 10 Nonprofits that are Building Literacy in Memphis
Want to grow literacy and spread love to a dream team of Memphis-based educational orgs? Check out the city-changing work at Give901 where gifts support 10 amazing nonprofits AND fund special projects like Grizz Prep Reads where every student will receive a book THEY CHOSE for their holiday reading!
Donate to Give901 and make an enormous difference across the city of Memphis.
Support After School Excellence at Streets Ministries
A $10 gift can help provide transportation to bring a child from school to this amazing after-school program where hundreds of kids find a safe space, a mentor, an after school snack, and fun with friends.
Pave the way for kids at Streets Ministries today.
Double Your Gift and Change the Game with Sports and Literacy at MAM
MAM brings literacy, sports, and more to kids who gather at six MAM centers across the city. And now, an anonymous donor is matching up to $100,000 in new and increased donations until December 31st.
Keep the College Acceptance Letters Coming for Soulsville Charter School Graduates
Since 2012—thanks to the exceptional education that’s being administered out of Soulsville Charter School—every senior enrolled in the school has been accepted to college with more than $90 million in scholarship and grant offers collectively. Help them keep that trend moving upward.
Read with Kids—or Support Those Who Do—with ARISE2Read
Research shows that children living in poverty who read proficiently by the end of the third grade have an 89% graduation rate! Reading is the key, and reading one on one with an adult can dramatically increase reading levels. You can be that adult.
Provide school books and supplies for a Compass Community School Student
Compass Community Schools serve students in under-resourced communities across the city: from Orange Mound to Frayser, from Hickory Hill to Midtown. You can be a part of their literacy journey.
Musical Literacy Supports Learning in All Subjects: Memphis Music Initiative
Shop with AmazonSmile and they will donate .5% of the price for your purchases to Memphis Music Initiative.
Support Literacy in Memphis and Around the World with Black History Programming at Stax
In February 2022, the Soulsville Foundation’s Stax Music Academy and Stax Museum of American Soul Music will release original virtual productions that offer two distinct but complementary celebrations of Black American music and its impact on the arc of American culture.
YOU can be a part of this. Help youth all over the world experience the evolution and magnetism of American Soul Music.
Help Su Casa Ministries Alleviate Language Barriers
As a donor or volunteer, you can play a part in supporting Su Casa Ministries’ mission to aid the local Latinx immigrant community through hands-on instruction for Adults and preschool students.
