Every child is worth fighting for. Help us help them.
I believe that our children are worth fighting for. I believe our community must to do a better job of putting our children at the top of our list of priorities. We need to protect and provide safe spaces for them, where they can cultivate their brilliance and nurture their intellectual curiosity.
I believe in our children.
And I’m not just talking about some of children, not just the ones who have never seen the inside of a daycare center because their families can afford to have a parent stay home and read to them every day. Not just the children whose mothers stand by the door and ask, “How was your day?” I’m not just talking about the kids whose professional parents own more books than can be found in some school libraries.
All of our children are worth fighting for. The ones who live in public housing and places we only see on the news when somebody gets shot. Even those kids who are kicked out of school or wear the same outfits four days in a row. The ones who get free lunch and come from single parent households.
Children who have witnessed domestic violence and experienced abuse, those children need advocates, too.
So we fight for them. At Freedom Readers After School and Summer Literacy Program, we fight for them using the most powerful weapon we know: education. We show up at community centers and churches each week armed with books, and we teach the young scholars the 3 Cs and E. Our first focus is comprehension. One child is partnered with one adult and they read together and talk about what they’ve read, increasing the child’s understanding of books.
Next, we teach the children communication skills by preparing them to make speeches in front of the group. And most importantly, we instill in each child a sense of confidence by telling them that they can do great things and giving them the chance to prove it. We expect our young scholars who are in kindergarten through fifth grade to do all things with excellence, putting forth their best effort at all times.
Our expectations are high.
It’s back to school season and so many wonderful organizations are providing back packs, binders and paper for children whose families can’t afford it. Along with these material supplies, our children need comprehension skills, communication abilities, confidence and the understanding that the only standard they should have for themselves is excellence. They need books that they can read at home and caring adults who will read to them and with them. They need advocates that will fight for them tirelessly, fearlessly, and ferociously.
If you want to stand with Freedom Readers as we fight for the children of our community each week, get involved today. Volunteer just two hours per week and make a positive impact on the life of just one child. Give a tax-deductible gift to the Freedom Readers Back to School Campaign, which will end on August 31. Visit www.gofundme.com/FreedomReaders to help fund this school year’s operating budget.
Or simply find out more about us by visiting our website at freedomreaders.org or calling us at (843) 331-8526.
Many of us turn on our televisions and see stories of children whose lives have ended tragically: 17-year-old Trayvon Martin, 12-year-old Tamir Rice, 18-year-old Michael Brown. We grieve with their mothers and pray for the families. Now it’s time to get to work. It’s time to stand up and fight for our children.
Not just some of them. All our children are worth fighting for.
This story was originally published August 15, 2016 at 5:21 PM with the headline "Every child is worth fighting for. Help us help them.."