Donation will help create mobile reading lab

Published 12:00 pm Tuesday, August 16, 2022

Two local partnering organizations have started on the road to get their shared vision, well, on the road.

And they recently got a little help from a local chain restaurant.

Makin’ the Connection, a nonprofit whose mission is to remove barriers to success, and Building Readers First, a local tutoring business, have teamed up for a project that will aid them in both their missions. They aim to create a mobile literacy lab they are calling “Read and Ride: The SMARTKID Bus” that will provide reading opportunities for children in socioeconomically disadvantaged areas of the community. 

A $4,150 donation from the Arby’s AES Foundation will help make that vision a reality in the future. According to its website, the AES Foundation was created in 2019 to distribute grants to support programs that strengthen, enhance and enrich the lives of people in communities where Arby’s restaurants are located. 

Building Readers First founder Jameria Cummings envisions a themed bus that will go out into neighborhoods or public areas like parks to reach kids where they are. Once complete, the bus will welcome kids onboard where they can either be read to or read on their own. The goal is to show all kids (the bus will be handicap-accessible) that reading is fun while preparing them for their learning futures. 

Cummings is a former middle and high school educator who saw kids’ reading gaps firsthand. That prompted her to create her business where she mostly works with K-5-aged children to help them improve their reading skills. 

Makin’ the Connection comes in as the bus provider. Started by The Rev. Tony Fraley in 2009 under a different name, the nonprofit also has buses that transport senior citizens and others in need of a ride. One of those buses will eventually be remodeled and become “The SMARTKID Bus.”

“Our vision and mission are to collaborate for total community involvement and to remove barriers — real and perceived — that limit otherwise productive contributing citizens, starting with our young people,” said Lisa Shinholster with Makin’ the Connection. “We believe education is a gateway for individuals to be successful in life, to be able to support their families and to be able to reach the goals they aspire to.”

Makin’ the Connection and Building Readers First are just getting started on their shared journey towards creating the mobile literacy lab. The AES Foundation donation was a big step. Anyone interested in donating to the continued effort may reach out to Shinholster via email at lshinh02@makintheconnection.com.