KEYS Member Jane Hanes, in the center holding the book, read to second graders at Jefferson Elementary School as part of Read Across Kosciusko County.

KOSCIUSKO — Members of Kosciusko Endowment Youth Services, Kosciusko County Community Foundation’s youth philanthropy program, encouraged literacy among nearly 1,000 second graders during Read Across Kosciusko County. This year marks the 14nth anniversary of the literacy event.

KEYS students and adult volunteers traveled to elementary schools throughout Kosciusko County and read to second grade students. Each classroom received a copy of the book that was read. Additionally, each second grade student got a book to take home.

Numbers at a Glance

• 20 KEYS members
• 28 Adult volunteers
• 16 Elementary schools
• 47 classrooms
• 965 second graders
• Over 1,000 books for students and schools

“Read Across Kosciusko County is a great way for KEYS members to practice their mission to impact education,” said Amy Cannon, KEYS Navigator. “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 eight 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 at http://kcfoundation.org/grants-supporting-education/ .