A New Chapter for Read! Learn! Succeed!

For a young child, receiving a book of their own can be a small but meaningful moment. It is a story they can carry home, share with someone they love, and return to again and again. Over time, those moments can help a child begin to see reading not simply as something they do in school, but as something joyful that belongs in their everyday life.

Yet not every child has the same access to books or opportunities to build that connection. Although socioeconomic barriers are often associated with large-scale challenges such as food insecurity, unstable housing, and limited access to childcare, inequality can also appear in quieter ways, including whether books are readily available at home.

In 2012, United Way of the Franklin & Hampshire Region (UWFH) identified a clear need to address gaps in local reading outcomes and help families overcome barriers to accessing books. In response, UWFH created Read! Learn! Succeed! (RLS).

The RLS program connects community volunteers with students through eight monthly classroom visits every school year, primarily in kindergarten and preschool classes. During each visit, a volunteer reads a selected book aloud. Every student takes home a copy while the teacher receives one for the classroom. The program is designed to put books directly into children’s hands, foster a love of reading, and encourage families to make time for literacy at home. Since its launch, the RLS program has distributed more than 51,100 books to students and teachers across the region.

The program’s carefully selected titles are another part of what makes it special. Choices are guided by children’s reading development, along with input from teachers, volunteers, and librarians. Each story is also chosen to reflect important values such as diversity, kindness, and community while remaining fun and engaging for young readers.

This past summer, UWFH transitioned Read! Learn! Succeed! to the Mary Lyon Foundation, which now oversees the program’s operations and fundraising.

As demand for UWFH’s social and health services continued to grow, the organization needed to focus more resources on families’ most urgent needs while ensuring the RLS program continued to thrive. Finding the right partner became a priority.

The Mary Lyon Foundation’s long-standing commitment to education, trusted relationships with local schools, and shared dedication to supporting children and families made it a natural fit to carry the program forward.

“We weren’t just looking for an organization to take over the program. We were looking for a partner who understood why it mattered. The Mary Lyon Foundation was that partner.”
— Jenny Coeur, Program Director, United Way of the Franklin & Hampshire Region

The Foundation is honored to carry the RLS program forward because the program reflects one of the Foundation’s deepest beliefs: every child deserves the chance to succeed, regardless of their circumstances. By placing free books into children’s hands and creating positive experiences with local volunteers, the program helps make reading feel accessible, enjoyable, and part of their everyday lives.

As the Mary Lyon Foundation carries Read! Learn! Succeed! into its next chapter, community support will be essential to sustaining its impact and expanding its reach. Please consider donating today to help more young readers benefit from the program. https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=D7L7Q6SJSFS38