Another Year of Junior Leader Reader in the Books
Started in 2010 by Ryan Yamka in honor of his late father, UWKV's Junior Leader Reader (JLR) program supports early literacy through classroom readings and book distribution to kindergarten and pre-k students. Junior Leader Reader is coordinated by United Way’s Young Leaders Society - a group of young professional donors who work to build healthy and resilient communities through service and giving. In 2022, the program celebrated a milestone of 50,000 books gifted. Books are distributed to all elementary schools in Shawnee County with a free-and reduced lunch rate of at least 50%. JLR is part of a continuum of free access to literacy materials that begins from the moment a child is born.
This school year, 44 Shawnee County volunteers/companies distributed 3,029 books to students at 20 schools. This year of Junior Leader Reader was sponsored by Security Benefit, Capitol Federal and Bartlett & West.
In the second week of April the Young Leaders Society celebrated the volunteers, teachers, and donors who make the Junior Leader Reader program possible at our second annual JLR Social hosted at Strathman Sales. United Way of Kaw Valley and Strathman Sales provided raffle prizes to celebrate our attendees.
In Jackson County, the JLR program expanded to include all elementary grade levels. Sixty volunteers distributed 1,223 books to students in seven grade levels at three schools. This year's sponsors were B&P Propane/Knotty Pine Oil, Community Health Care System, Phil & Beth McManigal, NEK Tax Services, Denison State Bank, and The Farmers State Bank.
