Plymouth Magazine-Fall26-DIGITAL - Flipbook - Page 53
Faith in Action:
Building Lives Through Reading
By Karen Downing (she/her)
He told them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which
a man took and planted in his field. 32 Though it is the smallest of all seeds, yet when
it grows, it is the largest of garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds come
and perch in its branches.”
— Matthew 13: 31-32
When I was little, the best way to make
my sister angry was to mess up her bed.
The best way to make me angry? Take my
books. The key word is ”my.” I didn’t want
anyone else spending time with “Harriet
the Spy or Misty of Chincoteague” or
“Old Yeller”. These were my books.
For many children in the Des Moines
Public Schools, that sense of ownership
has been missing. But one school at a
time, that’s changing.
Working with a Community School
Coordinator, the group identified a
school with a high percentage of students
receiving free and reduced lunch, an
indicator of economic need. Capital
View Elementary became the first place
where Building Lives through Reading
began to take root as poverty and lower
literacy rates go hand-in-hand.
Every second grader received a book each
month from September through May.
The first seed for Building Lives through
Reading was planted in an unlikely place:
one of the Nine-to-Dine dinner groups
that met virtually during the pandemic.
Members heard three Des Moines Public
Schools educators—an elementary,
middle school, and high school teacher—
speak during Forum. When asked about
the district’s greatest need, all three gave
the same answer: literacy.
A book of their own.
The day after Forum, Plymouth
members decided they wanted to help.
Caroline Peterson shared a program
created by a friend in Sioux Falls that
provided books for students. The idea
landed on fertile ground.
The following year, Building Lives through
Reading expanded to serve students in
kindergarten through second grade. But
an unexpected question arose. The former
second graders, now third graders, wanted
to know where their books were. They
wanted their libraries to keep growing.
A book chosen with their teacher’s
guidance.
A book they could take home.
The beginning of a personal library.
Best of all, each book carried the
student’s name inside the cover.
The seeds began to grow.
Plymouth Magazine 53
