Evening for Literacy

Since 2016, The Leaders Readers Network has expanded its programming and charitable support from its signature programs: the Student Literacy Leaders and Literacy Fellowship. Over the decade of serving classrooms across Los Angeles, TLRN has served 20 schools across California, partnering with 41 teachers, and distributing more than 9,147 books to students. Each book giveaway included words of encouragement stickers written by middle and high school student volunteers, adding a meaningful peer-to-peer connection to every gift. Together, these efforts reached over 4,102 students and represented $128,820.00 value of books dollars invested in books for children.

What began in 2016 as an act of kindness from student leaders —sharing words of encouragement and collecting gently used and new books—has grown into a strong partnership with school leaders, educators and students. This growth has led to school wide book giveaways with Los Angeles Unified School District and further partnerships with local school districts to further support 3rd grade students to read at grade level. 

While California is in the top 5 largest state economies in the United States, their early literacy rates continue to be among the lowest in the nation. The need in Southern California is particularly great. As of last year, nearly half of 3rd grade students in the state were not reading at grade level. Breaking that down further, the number drops closer to 30% for economically disadvantaged families. In some counties, like Riverside, only 1 in 4 students are reading at grade level or above by the time they reach third grade. These numbers show that the need to dramatically expand access to books and literacy support remains urgent.

The Leaders Readers Network is working to significantly increase the number of schools served, volunteers engaged, and books distributed, marking continued long-term growth. Through a strong partnership with the local school districts, the dedication of volunteers, and the generous support of donors, TLRN’s goals are to have 20 teachers participate in our Literacy Fellowship Program and to give out 20,000 books to students in Pre-K through third grade during the 2026-2027 school year. We are committed to improving early literacy across Southern California so educators and classrooms have the resources needed to help students develop foundational literacy skills and a lifelong love of reading. In order to reach this goal, we have set a fundraising goal of $100,000 to raise here in Southern California for the 2026-2027 school year.

Join us in changing the trajectory of thousands of young lives by investing in early literacy across Southern California. Your support helps provide critical support for the state’s youngest learners in Pre-K through third grade, ensuring they have the resources needed to build strong foundational literacy skills. With a long-term goal of helping all third-grade students read at grade level or beyond, increased community investment is essential to close the literacy gap and create lasting impact.