Lexington student gets gift of reading from books group

LEXINGTON, Ky. (WTVQ) – I Love Books, the Louisville-based social impact brand on a mission to end illiteracy, has reached the milestone of donating 500 books to children around the state.

The 500^th book, I Promise by Lebron James, was given today to a student at the Promise Academy at Williams Wells Brown in Lexington.

During today’s event, I Love Books gave each Williams Wells Brown student a copy of I Promise, a title the students have been reading in their morning meeting.

“Statistically speaking, many of the students at Williams Wells Brown are unlikely to have the tools they need to succeed in school, including books,” said I Love Books Chief Bookman Jonathan Beatty. “Our hope is that, by giving each child their very own copy of I Promise, we can help inspire a love of reading that extends beyond the classroom.”

Launched earlier this year by Beatty, I Love Books is a social impact brand with the mission to end illiteracy.

The company sells a curated selection of reading-themed clothes and accessories for children and adults.

I Love Books invests 50% of its net profits in literacy programs and books, which are donated directly to educators, schools, and libraries.

“I believe that reading is a birthright,” said Beatty. “But when children don’t have ready access to books – they don’t have books at home, or anyone to take them to the library, for example – how can they be expected to learn how to read proficiently, and to grow to love reading? Our hope is that by getting books into the hands of those who need them the most, literacy rates will improve, and lives will be transformed.”