Three North Carolinians Join National Council of Champions

Three community members in North Carolina from Moore, Wake and Mecklenburg counties have been recognized by the National Campaign for Grade-Level Reading (CGLR) for their exemplary work to support children’s early literacy. The CGLR has recognized 47 state and community leaders from across the country for their efforts to ensure more children are reading on grade-level by the end of third grade. From elected officials to business and community leaders, these 47 individuals are now part of the Campaign’s Council of Champions.

Congratulations to North Carolinians Lou Ann, Bill and Katie for their well-deserved recognition! Read about their inspiring work below.

Growing Moore Readers

Moore County, North Carolina

Lou Ann Lewis is an Infant Toddler Family Specialist with the local Children’s Developmental Services Agency. She provides developmental therapy services to children with exceptionalities. As a home visitor, she volunteers to “prescribe” reading to the families she works with, models a fun and engaging read aloud, and gives the child a new, age-appropriate book.

WAKE Up and Read!

Wake County, North Carolina

Bill Fletcher is a Wake County Public School System (WCPSS) Board of Education member and an advocate for grade-level reading. Through the Cary Rotary Club, he founded a literacy program for K-2 students who needed extra literacy support. Through Read a Book, Get a Book volunteers are recruited to read with children who need more support between 3-5 times a week, and the students get to keep their books.

Read Charlotte

Mecklenburg County, North Carolina

Katie Belk Morris is the board chair of Read Charlotte and responsible for spearheading the effort to re-launch the third-grade reading campaign in Charlotte, North Carolina. She is responsible for spearheading the effort for the third grade reading campaign called Read Charlotte. She brought local philanthropic, business, civic, government and education leaders together to talk about the local early literacy crisis. The group spent eight months to better understand the nature of the problem and what solutions could be brought to bear to improve children’s literacy. With Katie’s leadership, the group agreed to restart a third-grade campaign organized as a collective impact initiative called “Read Charlotte.”