Barrington Woman Wins $200,000 To Help Kids Be Better Readers

From the Rhode Island Foundation: A Barrington woman will use a $200,000 grant from the Rhode Island Foundation to launch a campaign to distribute thousands of free books to elementary school students as a way to improve their academic achievement.

Kate Lentz is one of three Rhode Islanders chosen from nearly 200 applicants to receive a $200,000 Carter Fellowship for Entrepreneurial Innovation. The fellowships are made possible through the vision and generosity of philanthropists Letitia and the late John Carter.

“We applaud the Carter family for their investment in Rhode Island’s potential. This year’s recipients offer impressive strategies for creating change and addressing the abundant opportunities that our state offers,” said Neil D. Steinberg, the Foundation’s president and CEO.

Lentz will launch Raising Readers in RI, which will focus giving culturally appropriate book to low-income kindergarten and first-, second- and third-grade students. She points to the state’s goal of doubling the percentage of third-graders able to read at grade level by 2015. Only 40 percent of children currently achieve that standard.

“Studies show that children growing up in homes with at least 20 books get three years more schooling than children from homes without books. Providing elementary school students access to great books fostered by a passionate network of adult readers is a necessary, bold and reenergized approach to tackling literacy head on in Rhode Island,” she said.

Lentz will recruit a volunteer network of teachers, librarians and reading advocates to collect and distribute books and work with young readers in a variety of settings.

“Access to books is the first step in closing the literacy gap. Putting more books featuring diverse characters in the hand of all children shows we really have more in common with one another that expected. Reading fiction builds empathy and creating a word in which all children can see themselves in the pages of a book is critical,” she explains.

As a former elementary school teacher and librarian and past president of the Primrose School and Barrington Middle School PTOs, Lentz brings years of experience to the initiative. She has been Director of the Rhode Island Center for the Book for the past six years.

“I went into schools and libraries across the state and met so many teachers who are going above and beyond the curriculum handed down to them to teach the way they know how and they are desperate for new and relevant books that reflect the lives of the children they teach,” she said.

Lentz points to studies that say the number-one indicator of high school graduation and future success is a child's ability to read on grade level by the third grade.

“The cause of poor literacy among low-income children is complex, but simple access to books is one of the biggest obstacles, and, perhaps, the biggest opportunity, in equalizing children’s literacy. We can't move the literacy dial without giving children access to quality literature. Our economy can't afford for us to not care about this,” she said.

The other two Carter Fellowship recipients have plans to revitalize former downtowns and to work with local farmers to stock food banks and soup kitchens.

Eva Agudelo of Providence will launch Hope’s Harvest RI. The initiative will harness volunteers to feed the hungry and prevent food waste by rescuing surplus fruits and vegetables from local farms.

“Collecting unharvested fruits and vegetables offers a straightforward and cost-effective solution to the twin challenges of wasted food and hungry people. It also addresses the environmental impacts of feeding underserved populations with commodity food shipped from thousands of miles away instead of what is readily available in our own backyard,” she said.

Erminio Pinque of Providence will work with municipal planners, community leaders and property owners to re-purpose vacant storefronts all over Rhode Island as cultural-activity hubs that will inspire large-scale public events.

"By creating a series of 'place transformation' centers, we'll take spaces that have great potential but lack a showcase for the local creative flavor that sets them apart and could attract visitors and engage their communities," he said.

The Rhode Island Foundation is the largest and most comprehensive funder of nonprofit organizations in Rhode Island. Working with generous and visionary donors, the Foundation raised $38 million and awarded $43 million in grants to organizations addressing the state’s most pressing issues and needs of diverse communities in 2017. Through leadership, fundraising and grantmaking activities, often in partnership with individuals and organizations, the Foundation is helping Rhode Island reach its true potential. For more information, visit rifoundation.org.

Image courtesy of the Rhode Island Foundation: Kate Lentz of Barrington will launch a campaign to distribute free books to elementary school students thanks to a $200,000 grant from the Rhode Island Foundation. (L-R) Lentz is joined by friends, family and supporters at the announcement.