(EDITOR’S NOTE: This is one of a periodic series of blog posts designed to shine light on the problem of illiteracy in our schools. We hope you will be moved enough to want to be part of the solution, either through donating your time and skills or through financial support to Coaching for Literacy or any of the groups listed at the bottom.)
@frankherronjr9
On any given night, you can find Frank Herron, LSU graduate and Detroit Lions football player, reading to his daughters, Failynn, 6, and Farrah, 2. It sounds so simple, doesn’t it?
It wasn’t always that way.
A dozen years ago, a physically precocious seventh grader sat with my wife, Catherine, and me in our home office. Frank Herron already stood 6-foot-3, weighed 185 solid pounds, could run like the wind and could already dunk a basketball. His physical maturity was evident; his educational maturity was another story.
We asked him, “Frank, can you read?” He said yes. But when I handed him a Sports Illustrated and asked him to read a paragraph aloud, he struggled.
An assessment showed this physically gifted seventh grader read at a third-grade level and it made me angry. Born in the wrong zip code. Born to a father who died much too young, leaving a single mom. Born into a school system without resources to help effectively. We decided to help. More importantly, he decided to help himself.
By the start of his ninth-grade year, he had improved to almost a seventh-grade reading level. Continued improvement allowed him to graduate from Memphis’ Central High School and, eventually from Louisiana State University, which he attended on a football scholarship.
***
The facts are clear.
FACT 1: Sixty-four percent of students who finish third grade in the United States don’t read at a proficient level.
FACT 2: Of students born into poverty, two-thirds of those who can’t read at grade level after third grade will spend time in prison or on welfare.
FACT 3: Of students born into poverty, 89 percent of those who can read at grade level in the third grade will graduate high school and hold a job.
FACT 4: That number is virtually identical to the percent of ALL children who can read at grade level in the third grade.
It all seems so random, doesn’t it? Born into the right zip code and your chances for success go up. Born into the wrong zip code and your chances shrink dramatically. When your chances shrink, so too do the opportunities.
So let’s start there. Let’s start long before a child’s lack of education causes so many things to go wrong.
How do we bring more dignity and opportunity to those born in the wrong zip code? By focusing on illiteracy in America – and committing to see that each child can read by the end of the third grade – can change the hopes and dreams of our kids. It is time to commit.
During the past seven-plus years, Coaching for Literacy has held more than 100 #Fight4Literacy games nationally with 50 NCAA partner schools, raised more than $1 million, and affected 20,000 children through 35 literacy programs.
We exist to bring attention to the problems associated with illiteracy and raise financial resources to aid those children. We are doing great work and have a goal to be America's leading literacy organization in the next decade. We want to see 64 percent of our third-graders read at grade level instead of the opposite that currently exists today.
If we can make this a reality – and we can with your help – many of our current problems will be solved going forward. Our kids will be able to lead more dignified lives. They aren’t just statistics; they are real children who need our time, resources and financial help. Life for all of us will change when we take to heart the command to "love your neighbor as yourself."
“It took me too long to realize the importance of reading,” Frank Herron says today, “so I read every night with my girls to demonstrate to them the importance and practice what I preach.”
The goal of these blog posts is to inspire within the reader the desire to want to help. Coaching for Literacy is just one way to do that. Here is a list of organizations that would love to your time or your donation to improve the lives of kids unlucky enough to have been born into the wrong place.
Donate Today:
Coaching for Literacy uses the power of sport to raise awareness about the issues stemming from illiteracy and donates funds in support of literacy for students in grades K-3.
Volunteer to be a Tutor or Mentor (Memphis):
Literacy Mid-South: it takes the work of our community to achieve our mission to provide literacy resources to learners of all backgrounds and ages.
STREETS Ministries: become a STREETS Smart volunteer and share the love of books once a week with an eager second grader.
ARISE2Read: takes an active role in the development of children in our public schools through the presence of volunteers focused on literacy.
JIFF (Juvenile Intervention & Faith-Based Follow-Up): breaking the destructive cycle of juvenile crime through Christ centered interventions.
Advance Memphis: empower adults in South Memphis to break cycles of unemployment, establish economic stability, reconcile relationships, and restore dignity through knowledge, resources, and skills by the power of Jesus Christ.
Contact Shelby County Schools or an elementary school in your neighborhood.
Not in Memphis? Find a worthy organization to volunteer your time and talents by searching VolunteerMatch or All for Good.
***
John Wilfong has been the chairman of Coaching for Literacy since our founding. A University of Memphis basketball player and standout at Briarcrest Christian School, Wilfong is a graduate of The University of Memphis and a recipient of an MBA Degree from The University of Memphis School of Business. John is a lifelong Memphis resident, married to Catherine Wilfong and has three children: Jonathan, Bennett and Luke. John is involved in philanthropy through multiple avenues including Streets Ministries and Third Millennium Ministries. Want to get in contact with John? Click here.
Interested in more stories like these? Be sure to subscribe or follow us on social media (links below).
