First Book - Hampton Roads in local classrooms
PORTSMOUTH, Virginia -- First Book - Hampton Roads volunteers, including Derrick Rose from WAVY 10 and members of the U.S. Coast Guard, have been reading to second-grade classes at Lakeview Elementary School in Portsmouth. After reading to the classes, the volunteers present books for each child to keep. First Book has five reading events scheduled throughout the year. By the end of the program each child will have received five books from First Book - Hampton Roads.
The advisory board of First Book - Hampton Roads has been working diligently to put together a board of volunteers, dedicated to providing the children of Hampton Roads, living in low-income households, the opportunity to read and build their own personal libraries. It all starts with the first book!
First Book is a nonprofit organization with a single mission: to provide new books to children in need addressing one of the most important factors affecting literacy – access to books.
First Book – Hampton Roads is a completely volunteer organization —there are no salaries and no overhead for the group. Contributions go towards the purchase of new books for children in Hampton Roads!
Hampton Roads includes dozens of cities, counties and towns on the Virginia Peninsula and in South Hampton Roads. The Hampton Roads population is approximately 1.7 million and it is recognized as the 33rd-largest metropolitan area in the United States.
The Hampton Roads advisory board serves the tidewater area of Virginia: Virginia Beach, Norfolk, Chesapeake, Portsmouth, Hampton, Newport News, York Co., Poquoson, Smithfield and Suffolk.
The advisory board for First Book – Hampton Roads was initiated in Spring of 2008.
Aligned with the mission of First Book, First Book – Hampton Roads is dedicated to providing children from low-income families with their first new book and is joining First Book’s fast-growing, nationwide community to battle illiteracy directly in Hampton Roads (Va.).
If you have any questions or would like to become involved with First Book - Hampton Roads, please e-mail us at:
hamptonroads_va@firstbook.org