By Amy Lawson
Reading Revolution, Inc was born when two friends having coffee decided that they had a dream for children in the Winston-Salem community living in book deserts to have access to a selection of free books. Nikki Francis, a veteran WSFCS teacher, found herself inspired to take a leap towards a bigger impact. Fueled by a passion for literacy and a commitment to ensuring equal access to reading material, she made the decision to leave her teaching position and create Reading Revolution.
Nikki met with her long-time friend, Amy Lawson, to brainstorm how to transform this dream into a reality. They decided to take action. Their first order of business was asking for books from friends and family. Nikki then contacted HOPE and asked to follow their weekend route in order to deliver books to children receiving their lunches. Nikki and Amy enlisted the help of their children, Palmer (sophomore) and Henry (8th grade). The first weekend was a success, and Reading Revolution delivered over 100 books to children in just a few hours.
After several months of following the HOPE truck and seeing the joy on the faces of the children when they picked out books, it became clear that Reading Revolution needed to become an official non-profit. So, on October 11, 2023, Reading Revolution was officially approved as a 501c3.
Since then, Reading Revolution has added drop off locations for books, games, and puzzles all around the Winston-Salem community while continuing to give out books behind the HOPE truck as often as possible. Soon, Reading Revolution will partner with preschools and daycares to provide story time followed by a free book fair. Plans are in progress to work with the Backpack programs at various schools to provide books to the students that they serve.
The ultimate goal of Reading Revolution is to have a bookmobile available to drive to neighborhoods and schools to provide a free bookstore experience to all children in Winston-Salem. The driving force behind this endeavor is a profound belief in the transformative power of reading and its ability to unlock the potential and curiosity in children. If you have a need for or know of someone with children who can benefit from Reading Revolution, please reach out!
Reading Revolution is currently accepting gently used children’s books, games, and puzzles at the following locations:
Forsyth Country Day School
Knollwood Baptist Church Wellness Center
Meadowlark Elementary School
Momentum Personal Training
Mt Tabor Barber & Style Shop
Pretty Is As Pretty Does
Salem Montessori School
Sherwood Forest Elementary School
Speas Global Academy
The Children’s Clinic of Winston-Salem
Whitaker Elementary School
Our Amazon Wishlist is linked below:
Amazon Wishlist: https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/3N1ZHJ6PUC5Y7?type=wishlist
Monetary donations can be made via PayPal using the following link: https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=6BGU77FBLCC8C
Or by contacting Nikki Francis nikki.s.francis@gmail.com or Amy Lawson amyblawson@gmail.com
Please follow them on Instagram @readingrevolutionws or by using the following link: https://www.instagram.com/readingrevolutionws/
Board of Directors:
Nikki Francis, President
Henry Lawson, Vice-President
Amy Lawson, Treasurer
Palmer Francis, Secretary
*Join Triad Moms on Main March 5, 2024, at 10am for storytime by Reading Revolution at Dog-eared Coffee Co. (6770 River Center Drive, Clemmons, NC)!
Reading Revolution will be collecting new or gently used books, games and puzzles and as a Thank You for your donation, Dog-eared Coffee Co. will provide 15% off of your drink order! All are welcome, hope to see you there!
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