Lindsay Elementary students received books to kick-start their home libraries last week thanks to a generous donation from Marathon Oil and the Barbara Bush Houston Literacy Foundation.
Each child in kindergarten through fifth grade received four books to add to their at-home library. Collectively just over 2,000 books were handed out, according to Elementary School Counselor Lindsey Hembree.
School officials and Marathon Oil representatives have worked together in recent weeks to choose titles for each grade that will complement curriculum and qualify for accelerated reader testing, said Hembree, who coordinated with a team of volunteers from Marathon Oil’s Lindsay office Friday, as they distributed the books to classrooms and read to students.
Owning books as part of a home library is considered a luxury in many homes. The donations are designed to help bridge that gap and ensure all children, especially those in lower income areas or who are struggling readers, have access to books in their homes.
A long-term study by the Annie E. Casey Foundation found that students who were not proficient in reading by the end of third grade were four times more likely to drop out of high school than proficient readers. In fact, 88% of students who failed to earn a high school diploma were struggling readers in third grade.
“We want to ensure that all children have the opportunity to learn how to read so that they can succeed not only in school, but in life. We’re committed to building strong communities where we live and work – and know that literacy is a foundational part of a strong community,” Lee Tillman, Chairman, President and CEO of Marathon Oil, said.
Marathon Oil has been partnering with the BBHLF’s My Home Library program since 2017. Through the program, elementary school students receive a personal “home library” with a number of new books at no cost to the student or their school.
The pilot program began in Houston with 600 students at a local elementary school. Since the launch of the program, Marathon Oil has provided more than 15,500 books to students’ home libraries and the Foundation is now serving more than 25,000 children annually. In December, the Foundation will celebrate the distribution of their 100,000th home library.
Building on the success and impact of the partnership, Marathon Oil and the BBHLF are expanding the program this year to elementary schools in other communities where Marathon Oil operates.
This year under the expansion program, Marathon Oil distributed home libraries at six elementary schools across the country, including Lindsay Elementary and schools in south Texas; Carlsbad, New Mexico; and New Town, North Dakota.
“We can’t expect to children to improve academically if they don’t have books in their homes to practice their reading skills. Marathon Oil has been a significant and valued partner of the Foundation and played an integral role in the launch and continued success of our My Home Library Program,” Dr. Julie Baker Finck, President of the Barbara Bush Houston Literacy Foundation, said.
“The company’s generous investment of time, talent and treasure has enabled us to provide economically disadvantaged children and families access to high-quality literacy programs and resources. We are immensely grateful for their continued commitment to the literacy cause and for serving as a point of light for others.”
