I've seen programs where organizations bring into schools, and children can read to them — helping them overcome shyness and get practice reading words and sentences out loud without the nerves reading aloud to one's classmates can bring. Catilin Gooch puts a new spin on this by bringing in her horses.
Having heard the literacy rate in her home state of North Carolina was low, she teamed up with a local library to offer incentives to kids to check out books: Any kid who checked out three books or more was entered into a raffle to win a visit to her horse farm.
According to CNN:
In 2017, Gooch, who had been working at daycare centers and youth groups, noticed that some of the younger children struggled to read. She decided to collaborate with a local library: Any student who checked out more than three books would be entered into a raffle. Five names would be selected out of the raffle and each received a trip to visit the horses on the Gooch family farm.
It was a hit. Gooch expanded her services by creating her nonprofit.
She says she's raised over $20,000 from supporters across the world who want to help fund an equestrian facility and in-house library for SUAR.
Saddle Up And Read is a runaway horse hit! What on earth is cooler than a Black woman equestrian inspiring kids to read?
