“When I look back, I am so impressed again with the life-giving power of literature. If I were a young person today, trying to gain a sense of myself in the world, I would do that again by reading, just as I did when I was young.”
–Maya Angelou

One of my favorite authors of suspense action novels is David Baldacci, a fellow Virginian and a multiple New York Times bestselling author. What I love as much as his books, however, is his foundation. He and his wife established the Wish You Well Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting literacy efforts across America.

Recently, I read an article on literacy that included an eye-catching statistic. In my city of Charlotte, NC, just 33 percent of fourth graders are reading proficiently. Seriously? Two out of every three public school children are not proficient in reading? That statistic’s ramifications are huge.

Reading is fundamental to almost every course we study, class we take, or job we pursue. To be reading- impaired makes it more likely for a child to never graduate from high school, much less get a job that will provide for financial stability.

Today, there are many demands on parents’ time and energy. But what could be more important than getting young parents to instill in their children a desire for reading? Children should be read to from infancy until they can read for themselves, every day. If older children see their parents reading, they’re more likely to pick up a book. If they witness their parents spending an inordinate amount of time on social media sites, they’re likely to do the same. Which choice gives children a better shot at success?

I don’t know the statistics, but it’s not a reach to suggest that parents who value reading are more likely to put a premium on their children’s education and reinforce what they’re learning at school.

Charlotte’s only nonprofit organization dedicated to tutoring children in Title 1 elementary schools is the Augustine Literacy Project. The project’s volunteers focus on the fundamentals of reading, writing, and spelling. Federal dollars fund these schools in an effort to assist at-risk students. Irrespective of my opinion that the states, not the federal government, are better equipped to direct those funds, this combination of government funding and the unselfish work of nonprofits is a great model for meaningful intervention.

Notwithstanding the necessity of adequate reading skills for academic success, there’s also the pure joy and relaxation that reading for pleasure provides. In a world so complicated, busy, and noisy, what better way to retreat and lose oneself than in a book, vicariously going places and experiencing things through book characters’ lives, motives, choices, and outcomes?

To paraphrase the title of one of Theodor Geisel’s Dr. Seuss books, imagine “the places they’ll go.” Especially for disadvantaged children, who are not blessed with the opportunity to travel and be exposed to different cultures, geography, and experiences, books can take them into a world they’d otherwise not see.

Imagine a world where words are written but never read, or where books are shelved in stores and libraries, but never accessed. Think of the opportunities and sheer joy missed.

I believe that was the concern that led the Baldaccis to establish their foundation. Simply put, they wanted people to learn to read.

Shouldn’t we all?