BY KENDYL HOLLINGSWORTH
KENDYLH@
OPELIKAOBSERVER.COM
OPELIKA —
For the second year, the Lee County District Attorney’s Office and the Tuscaloosa County District Attorney’s Office will compete in an online Iron Bowl Book Drive to see which office can raise the most funds for Reach Out and Read – Alabama.
The drive, which kicked off Nov. 1, will run until Nov. 26 — the same day the Auburn and Alabama football teams will face off in the Iron Bowl at Bryant-Denny Stadium.
Tuscaloosa County DA clinched the victory last year, but as of Nov. 14, Lee County was holding the lead in this year’s competition.
While the offices will engage in friendly competition this month, they are united in fighting against a common enemy: illiteracy.
“For the law enforcement side of things, we see that those committing the majority of criminal offenses are functionally illiterate,” said Lee County District Attorney Jessica Ventiere.
The mission of Reach Out and Read — a national nonprofit with several chapters throughout the United States — is to combat illiteracy by promoting childhood reading.
According to the Alabama chapter’s website, the organization has partnered with more than 300 medical providers in nearly 70 practices across the state to “prescribe” more than 1.6 million new books to children since 1996.
“These books are more than the stories inside … they are the key to unlocking the potential in every child in Alabama, and that is where Reach Out and Read – Alabama steps in,” the website reads.
According to Dr. Sara Smith T, fighting illiteracy begins when children are still in the infant stage.
“The studies have shown throughout 30-years-plus that early reading to children promotes better reading, better writing, better communication skills, better school performance, better relationships, and in the end, there really is a link to what Jessica does,” she explained in a recent “This Morning” interview. “It is something that can promote just healthier lifestyles [and] decreased crime lifestyles.
“The more words and variety of words that children hear promotes all of these wonderful benefits, so we are all about trying to give books to children, and this project is allowing us to give free books to every little baby that comes into our office for their vaccines.”
Last year, the Lee County District Attorney’s Office set a goal to raise $2,500 in a “virtual book drive.” Nearly 40 donors raised more than that, surpassing the goal to contribute more than $2,750 to Reach Out and Read – Alabama.
This year, the goal has increased to $3,000, and donors have already raised almost half of that amount.
There are a total of seven Reach Out and Read sites in Tuscaloosa and Lee counties. The funds raised this year on behalf of the Lee County District Attorney’s Office will once again support the two sites in Lee County: Pediatric Clinic and Pediatric Associates of Auburn.
Together, the two sites provide more than 13,000 books to local children and their families.
“We are fighting for our children and against illiteracy one book at a time,” Ventiere said in an event kickoff video with Auburn University pre-law students.
To donate to the book drive on behalf of the Lee County District Attorney’s Office, visit the event page at www.reach-out-and-read-alabama.networkforgood.com/projects/171745-war-eagle-and-beat-bama-one-book-at-a-time or go to leecountyda.org and scroll down to click on the Beat Bama Book Drive link.