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Harrisburg Youth Council unveils 'Read Across Harrisburg' capstone book-drive
Summary
Students presented 'Read Across Harrisburg,' a capstone project to collect and distribute books to elementary classrooms, with drop-off sites, teacher pickup days, volunteer reading and follow-up surveys; students applied for a $300 state youth grant and asked council for support.
Harrisburg youth council members presented their capstone project, “Read Across Harrisburg,” during the Town of Harrisburg council’s final 2024 meeting, outlining a volunteer-driven book-collection and classroom reading effort aimed at elementary students.
Casey, a town staff member who coordinates youth council activities, told council the group includes 32 students organized into recruiting, capstone, community service and grant-writing committees and that students will hold volunteer reading events during Read Across America week. Leila Parker, a Hickory Ridge High School junior and capstone committee member, said the project will combine donated books from council members and purchases funded by grants to expand classroom libraries and reduce out-of-pocket costs for teachers.
The students have set up drop-off sites at Harrisburg Town Hall customer service, Hickory Ridge Middle and High schools, and the Harrisburg branch of the public library, and plan a teacher book-pickup day at Harrisburg Elementary. Parker said the youth council will use an Amazon wish list to let donors buy specific items the teachers request and that teachers will sign an interest form so the students can assess impact with before-and-after surveys.
Nicole Eskew, volunteer advisor to the youth council, said the grant-writing committee submitted a $300 application to the North Carolina State Youth Council; if awarded, organizers expect to use the funds to buy book kits targeted to kindergarten–grade 2 classrooms. Council members reacted positively: one suggested the youth council stamp donated books to encourage long-term engagement, and another floated using discretionary council funds to support the effort.
The youth council’s timeline calls for donation drives and teacher outreach in December and January, volunteer reading days during Read Across America week in March, and a project wrap-up with follow-up surveys in April. Students emphasized evaluation: they will compare initial and follow-up survey results on student interest in reading and classroom library usage.
Next steps identified at the meeting: youth council staff will publish the Amazon wish list and drop-off instructions on the town website and provide council a monetary target at a future meeting if additional funding is required.
