Tech’s Elinor Ross Freedom School named a winner of ‘Rally to Read 100’ sweepstakes, awarded 100 new books
From left: Cassie Brown, project director for Tennessee Tech’s Elinor Ross Freedom School, and Amber Spears, executive director, with boxes of new books from Reading Is Fundamental’s “Rally to Read 100” sweepstakes.
Tennessee Tech University’s Elinor Ross Freedom School was named a winner of Reading
is Fundamental’s “Rally to Read 100” sweepstakes, a six-month initiative designed
to ignite a love of reading for students in grades PreK – 5 across the country.
As one of 100 national awardees, the Elinor Ross Freedom School received 100 books,
valued at over $1,400, curated to inspire its young readers.
As part of the sweepstakes, students, educators, families and RIF partners were invited
to take on the fun challenge of reading 100 books over the span of six months by the
end of National Reading Month in March. The “Rally to Read 100” campaign provided
accompanying resources at RallytoRead.org including monthly themes and book lists,
virtual “read-alouds” with popular authors, and activity packets.
“At the Elinor Ross Freedom School, we believe in the power of books to transform
lives and open doors,” said Amber Spears, associate professor of literacy at Tech
and executive director of the Elinor Ross Freedom School. “Receiving this generous
gift from Reading Is Fundamental is more than just 100 new books—it’s 100 opportunities
for our scholars to fall in love with literacy and life-long learning. We are deeply
grateful to RIF and Barnes & Noble for recognizing the importance of equitable book
access and for supporting our mission to nurture a love of reading in every child.”
“An important part of designing this campaign was to encourage students to read, but
also to ensure that schools and families have free access to diverse reading resources
on a variety of topics that relate to the world around them,” added Alicia Levi, president
and CEO of Reading Is Fundamental. “We are so excited to contribute 10,000 books in
total prizes to help build engaging bookshelves for the winning schools’ libraries
and classrooms.”
The “Rally to Read 100” sweepstakes welcomed K-5 educators to submit their schools
for the chance to win 100 new books generously donated by Barnes & Noble to help build
their libraries and classrooms with a range of stories, characters, and authors. After
a process of random selection from a pool of thousands, 100 applicants were chosen
including the Elinor Ross Freedom School.
Named for the late Tech professor Elinor Ross – a tireless champion of education,
reading, and literacy for learners of all ages – the Elinor Ross Freedom School hosts
a free six-week literacy and cultural enrichment program each summer for children
in first through eighth grade whose families qualify for free or reduced lunch programs.
Learn more at www.tntech.edu/freedomschool or by emailing freedomschool@tntech.edu.
Reading Is Fundamental (RIF) is the nation’s leading children’s literacy nonprofit.
Since 1966, it has provided nearly 430 million books and reading resources to over
212 million children. Learn more at www.RIF.org.