A KANSAS CITY LITERACY CAMPAIGN
THE CRISIS
1 IN 7
children in the U.S. live in poverty
40%
of 4th graders read below basic level
130 Million
U.S. adults struggle to read basic sentences
80%
of low-income 4th graders never reach reading proficiency
THE CAMPAIGN
A City-Wide Call to Eradicate Illiteracy.
READ KC is a citywide call to the church to eradicate illiteracy from our most vulnerable neighbors, our children. With the assistance of our fantastic local literacy organizations, we will adopt struggling schools to provide a future to hurting children through reading mentorship.
WATCH FIRST
Meet Fugi and Adrian
Before anything else, watch this seven-minute film. It will change how you see the children in our city.
WHY THIS MATTERS
Injustice becomes generational—without intervention.
The pain, lack of opportunity, and limitations of poverty are passed from parents to children. But so can hope. Set Free is a four-week journey through Scripture that invites our whole church to see, feel, and respond to the literacy crisis in our own backyard.
"Children who read become adults who read. It really is that simple—and that powerful."
GET INVOLVED • INDIVIDUALS
Two Ways to Be Part of the Response
Become a Reading Mentor
Volunteer one hour a week in a local school. Be that difference for a child in our city.
Volunteer Today Coming Soon→
School Prayer Challenge
Download the School Prayer Challenge App and pray specifically for the students, teachers, and families in a school near you. Prayer moves things. Let's start there.
GET INVOLVED • CHURCHES
The Set Free Series for Church-Wide Engagement
Set Free meets your congregation where they are for an integrated series experience—Sunday mornings with the whole church, mid-week in a small group, and daily around their family table.
Weekend Manuscripts
Four Sunday messages drawn from the book READ: How God's People Can Bring Justice Through Literacy by Tony Kriz. Each week explores a theme from Scripture and invites the church toward action.
Small Group Series & Guide
The READ · RISE · RESTORE small group curriculum pairs with each sermon. Includes four video stories from the Sentenced film and guided discussion in both long-form and short-form versions.
Family Devotional
Devotional for the whole family—younger kids, teens, and adults. Available free through the YouVersion Bible App or as part of the full READ book. Takes just 15–25 minutes at the table.
Reading Mentor Campaign
Adopt a local school and partner with them or a local org to get your congregation mentoring.
School Prayer Challenge
Download the School Prayer Challenge App and pray specifically for the students, teachers, and families in a school near you. Prayer moves things. Let's start there.
READ: How God's People Can Bring Justice Through Literacy
by Tony Kriz & Jeff Martin. The foundation behind the entire series.