HISD’s Literacy By 3 movement got a big boost on Oct. 31, when four organizations joined forces to help students at Neff Early Learning Center start or build a home library.

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The Greater Houston First Book Volunteer Board (GHFB), partnering with Disney, First Book National, and the Rotary Club of Sharpstown, distributed 4,500 books to Neff students that day, with each student receiving seven books to take home.

“It’s very important for our students to receive these books,” said Neff ELC principal Gerardo Leal. “A lot of them do not have books at home. The quality of the books they’re receiving today is amazing and they are titles that they really like. These are books that will inspire a love of reading.”

Statistics show that only one in 300 families in low-income areas of Houston have books in their homes. Members of the Rotary Club of Sharpstown helped secure the books for Neff ELC in their efforts to revitalize the Sharpstown neighborhood.

“What better way to have them practice the skills they learn in school than actually having books at home to read?” asked Leal. “This is a great opportunity for them to start building their own libraries.”