Norfolk, Virginia, January 18, 2024 — All District Reads, a Norfolk-based nonprofit organization, is pleased to announce a generous contribution of $5,000 from Sentara Health to assist with the All District Reads program, which brings together families, schools, and the community to “light literacy fires” in homes across southeastern Virginia.
The All District Reads program is designed to build student interest in reading by getting all elementary school families in participating school districts to read and discuss the same children’s book at the same: me. The generous $5,000 donation from Sentara will help All District Reads provide free copies of a selected children’s book to all elementary families in Norfolk City Public Schools this spring.
The All District Reads program aims to provide two free books per year—one in the fall and one in the spring—along with a free parent guide and a variety of support materials for participating school districts. Districts select books they believe will engage students across the elementary grades.
“This program is vital, particularly for children who do not have someone reading to them daily,” says All District Reads founder Gary Anderson. “This generous grant from Sentara helps build children’s foundation of language and stories, which supports their ongoing literacy development.” In addition to Norfolk City Public Schools, Suffolk Public Schools, Northampton County Public Schools, and Portsmouth Public Schools are participating in All District Reads programs in the spring 2024. This contribution from Sentara reinforces their shared commitment to creating healthier communities through partnerships with organizations and individuals.
About All District Reads
All District Reads partners with schools and participating communities to encourage reading aloud in households and classrooms of all kindergarten through 5th grade students, with special advantages for low-income students. The ADR reading program provides a shared reading experience within homes to promote literacy and create a passion for reading.
About Sentara Health • www.sentara.com/news
Sentara, an integrated, not-for-profit health care delivery system, celebrates 135 years in pursuit of its mission—“we improve health every day.” Sentara is one of the largest health systems in the U.S. Mid-Atlantic and Southeast, and among the top 20 largest not-for-profit integrated health systems in the country, with 30,000 employees, 12 hospitals in Virginia and Northeastern North Carolina, and the Sentara Health Plans division which serves more than 1.2 million members in Virginia and Florida. Sentara is recognized nationally for clinical quality and safety and is strategically focused on innovation and creating an extraordinary health care experience for our patients and members. Sentara was named to IBM Watson Health’s “Top 15 Health Systems” (2021, 2018), and was recognized by Forbes as a “Best Employer for New Grads” (2022), “Best Employer for Veterans” (2022), and “Best Employer for Women” (2020).