MILWAUKEE, Wis. — A staff member from Dr. George Washington Carver Academy speaks on the impact of the TMJ4 “If You Give a Child a Book” campaign as the biggest donation day starts Wednesday.
At TMJ4, we believe giving children books can take them to new places, plant the seeds for future success, and help break the cycle of poverty. The “If You Give a Child a Book …” campaign, in partnership with the Scripps Howard Fund, puts books in the hands of these children.
Vanessa Brown, the parent coordinator at Carver Academy, has witnessed the impact of the campaign firsthand. For the past two years, hundreds of students at the school have been able to select books of their own—books they can bring home.
"These become their books. It becomes part of the—I call it building their home library," Brown said.
The book drives typically happen later in the year, and Brown says she’s seen the students’ faces light up when the day comes.
Watch: Campaign brings books home for local students
"You watch the bigger kids come in, and you think, eh, you know, most of our middle schoolers, they're just middle schoolers, but they're coming in and they're excited and they're poking someone else because they found a book over in another area," she said. "Now this kid is going over to that other area to look for the book, and like I said, they form these informal book clubs."
The simple gift of a book can change a child’s life, but many local families don’t have access to books at home.
"They're [parents] putting food on the table. They're trying to make sure that their kids can come to school and that they can get to work,” Brown said. “Now every single scholar in our school gets an opportunity to have books that they can take home and read.”
You can donate to the campaign through the end of September at TMJ4.com/book2025.
On Wednesday, Sept. 3, you have the opportunity to double the impact—donations up to $200,000 will be matched by E.W. Scripps, TMJ4’s parent company, for the day.
“Your money is going to help some child get excited about reading, which, in turn, will help them lead to literacy, but it also helps families,” Brown said.
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