KEYS member and Wawasee High School student, Jarius Boyer, read to second graders at Syracuse Elementary during last year’s Read Across Kosciusko County event.

KOSCIUSKO COUNTY — Members of Kosciusko Endowment Youth Services, the Kosciusko County Community Foundation’s youth philanthropy program, will encourage literacy among 1,000 second graders during Read Across Kosciusko County today, March 22. This year marks the 12th anniversary of the literacy event.

KEYS students and adult volunteers will travel to elementary schools throughout Kosciusko County and read to second grade students. Each child will receive a copy of the book that will be read to them. Additionally, before the end of the school year, KEYS will bring in the book’s author, Troy Cummings, to speak to each classroom about reading and creating stories of their own.

Here are some numbers at a glance:

• 20 KEYS members
• 32 Adult volunteers
• 16 Elementary schools
• 52 classrooms
• Over 1,000 second graders

“Read Across Kosciusko County is a great way for KEYS members to practice their mission to impact education,” said KEYS Navigator, Amy Cannon. “In addition to encouraging the vital skill of reading, this program helps KEYS members to be better grant makers as they interact with the students who are impacted by the educational grants they award.”

KEYS members are students in grades 8 through 12 from four school corporations in Kosciusko County: Lakeland Christian Academy, Tippecanoe Valley, Warsaw and Wawasee. Their mission is “to work together to positively impact and improve education in our community by providing aid now and for future generations.”

For more information about KEYS, visit their webpage.