Family Focus

64-U Books for Kids to collect books for local students

By Stephanie Maxwell
By Stephanie Maxwell

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Channel 9 sister station TV64 kicks off a new drive called "64-U Books for Kids" to collect books for local students.

Anchor Stephanie Maxwell spoke to two students who prove that access to books can make a world of difference.

“I have vocab words and I have my reading,” sixth-grader Jonathan Starling said.

Jonathan, who is a student at Manus Academy, started working on his reading skills more than two years ago with help from tutor Jack Deering through the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Library Volun-teen Program.

“Right from the beginning, I realized he was struggling and was going to really need help getting up to his reading level,” Deering said, who is a teen tutor senior at Charlotte Catholic High School.

Jonathan’s mom, Meredith Starling, said it was tough seeing her son fall behind.

“It was getting hard and when it gets hard, you get frustrated and you want to push it away,” she said.

But these buddies kept at it, and now Jonathan likes to pick up a book just for fun.

“I'm reading like about different cars and how they are made,” Jonathan said.

“We started not enjoying reading. Just being able to see the enjoyment of reading continue for him, because Jack was able to make it more fun,” Meredith Starling said.

While Jonathan has books he can read just for fun, Jack realizes that’s not the case for every child in Mecklenburg County. That's why he said the partnership between the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Library and TV64 to collect and distribute books throughout the community will make a difference.

“This book drive is a great way to give kids more educational resources,” Jack said.

It will also develop a love of reading just like Jonathan has.

You can donate books to the 64-U Books for Kids at any Charlotte-Mecklenburg Library location until April 21.

Those donations will go to local kids through the library’s outreach services.

For more information, visit 64ubooksforkids.com.

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