Celebrating Read Across America 2025: Inspiring Young Minds Through the Power of Reading

Read Across America 2025 was a tremendous success in the schools where RISE Augusta serves and we couldn’t have done it without our incredible volunteers! This year, RISE Augusta partnered with area businesses and organizations to recruit over 200 volunteers who dedicated their time to reading in classrooms across Richmond County. Their enthusiasm and commitment helped bring the joy of books and storytelling to children, fostering a love for reading that will last a lifetime.

Read Across America, an initiative of the National Education Association (NEA), is more than just a day of celebration—it’s a movement designed to inspire children and teens to become lifelong readers. The program promotes literacy year-round with a focus on diversity and inclusion, ensuring that every child can see themselves in the stories they read. By engaging young minds with books that reflect different cultures, experiences, and perspectives, we help create a world where empathy and understanding thrive.

At RISE Augusta, we know that reading is the foundation for success in school and in life. Through initiatives like Read Across America, we strive to make literacy accessible and enjoyable for all children, especially those in under-resourced communities. Seeing the excitement on students’ faces as they listened to our volunteers read aloud was a powerful reminder of the impact that stories can have.

A heartfelt thank you goes out to every volunteer who took time out of their busy schedules to make a difference. Your generosity, enthusiasm, and passion for literacy are truly inspiring. Whether you read to a classroom, donated books, or helped organize events, you played a crucial role in making Read Across America 2025 a memorable and meaningful experience for so many young learners.

Together, we are shaping the future—one page at a time!