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Dollar General gives $50,000 in honor of longtime supporter Jennie Fitzkee

By Amanda Schwartz

Photo courtesy of The Kelly Clarkson Show, NBCUniversal Syndication Studios
Jennie Fitzkee, center, is surprised by the announcement of Dollar General’s generous donation on The Kelly Clarkson Show.

When The Kelly Clarkson Show chose to celebrate preschool teacher Jennie Fitzkee ­­— a West Virginia native and longtime Read Aloud WV supporter ­—Read Aloud’s Executive Director Dawn Miller was asked to video call in to the filming as a surprise.

“Anything for Jennie Fitzkee!” she replied.

Miller was excited to be part of recognizing a dedicated supporter and local literacy champion, but had no idea there was a surprise in store. Both Fitzkee and Miller were shocked and deeply touched by Dollar General’s announcement of a $50,000 gift to Read Aloud in honor of Fitzkee and World Teacher Day.

Fitzkee became involved with Read Aloud in 2012 after the passing of her childhood friend, Read Aloud champion Candy Galyean. Fitzkee (born Jennie Lively Lytton) grew up with Galyean in Huntington, but moved to Groton, Mass., where she has been a preschool teacher for almost 40 years. When her sister sent Galyeans’s obituary in 2012, Fitzkee saw it suggested donations to Read Aloud West Virginia.

“I thought, ‘This has got to be someplace else!’” Fitzkee recalled. “I just can’t believe this! I never knew about this wonderful place.”

Fitzkee called and spoke with Read Aloud founder and then Executive Director Mary Kay Bond. They had much in common, including an inspiration, Jim Trelease, author of The Read Aloud Handbook, first published in 1979.

Eager to give back to her home state and support her friend’s legacy, Fitzkee began collecting books. She and her students and community gathered so many she and husband Steve Fitzkee rented a truck and drove them all the way from Groton, Mass. to Charleston.

After that momentous donation, Fitzkee has continued to support Read Aloud, nurtures readers through her blog “A Teacher’s Reflections,” and has contributed to this newsletter.

“This gift means so much to us,” said Executive Director Dawn Miller. “It is an acknowledgment of the lifelong value of our work to help children develop an intrinsic motivation to read, and it will help Read Aloud to stay strong and flexible, of course.

“But with this gift the Dollar General Literacy Foundation also recognizes the efforts of every volunteer, every teacher, every school coordinator, every principal, every donor ­­— every friend of Read Aloud who has contributed to the effort to help children discover joy in reading,” she said.

“On top of all that, we are touched and honored to still be part of remembering Candy Galyean, who even now plays such an important role in bringing us together in this cause.”

Over the past 28 years, the Dollar General Literacy Foundation has donated more than $203 million to provide funding and resources to support literacy advancement and has helped more than 14.8 million individuals learn to read. In both 2020 and 2021, they granted funds to Read Aloud to support shipments of self-chosen books to low-income children across the Mountain state, keeping them reading through the pandemic and beyond.

Dollar General’s co-founder, J.L. Turner, was functionally illiterate and never completed a formal education. In 1993, J.L.’s grandson, Cal Turner, Jr., founded the Dollar General Literacy Foundation to honor him and support others’ educational journeys.

Dollar General and the Dollar General Literacy Foundation’s $4.5 million investment to help students, teachers, and nonprofit organizations working to support and improve youth literacy across the country includes more than $3 million in youth literacy grants from the Dollar General Literacy Foundation and a new $1.45 million partnership with education nonprofit Donors Choose.

To watch the announcement and Fitzkee’s heartwarming reaction, click here.

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2021 NIP Tax Credits Now Available

Get them before they’re gone! Read Aloud West Virginia has received Neighborhood Investment Program (NIP) Tax Credits to distribute to eligible donors on a first-come, first-served basis. NIP credits are administered by the state to encourage donations to local nonprofits.

For example, a donation of $1,000 qualifies for up to $500 in NIP credits off of West Virginia personal income or corporate net income taxes. That means donors can have a $1,000 impact for a bottom-line cost of only $500.

Read Aloud WV motivates West Virginia children to read for fun by putting books in their hands and trained volunteer readers in their classrooms. Research shows kids who read for pleasure become stronger readers, setting them up for long-term academic and career success. Every dollar donated to Read Aloud results in more time spent coordinating with families, schools, and volunteers to get kids the tools they need to grow their reading skills. As little as $100 can fund books for an entire classroom, while $1,100 can fund a month of Books for Babies, which gives all new parents delivering at CAMC a board book to encourage them to read to their child from birth. With low-cost, high-impact programs like these, even the minimum donation to qualify for tax credit ($500) can help hundreds of children and families.

Read Aloud has remained on mission throughout the pandemic, adapting book distributions and volunteer classroom reading efforts to meet the new conditions and needs. “We are busier than ever, and our donors make all this work possible,” says Executive Director Dawn Miller.

If you’re interested in giving early and helping Read Aloud improve the literacy climate in WV, you can:

  • Mail a check to Read Aloud WV, PO Box 1784, Charleston, WV 25326 (this is preferred, as there are no fees associated with your donation and Read Aloud receives the full amount to put towards programs).
  • Click the Donate button above to make a secure donation through Square.

The maximum tax credit allowed in any one year is $100,000. Donors cannot reduce their total state tax bill by more than 50%, but they have five years to use their credits. If you have any questions, contact Read Aloud headquarters at (304)345-5212.

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Parks family gathers donations for Wetzel literacy

By Amanda Schwartz

September 17 was a special day in the Parks family. It was the day Cristi Parks celebrated her mother Kay Parks’ birthday before she passed. This September, Cristi felt called to do something to honor her mother’s memory, and that is how Read Aloud learned about Kay Parks.

Born and raised in Wetzel County, Kay was a force for literacy and creativity in her community. She loved to read to children at her local elementary school, and, as a gifted musician, she could often be found playing the organ at a local church or teaching a child to play the piano. Kay’s passion for serving her community lives on in her daughter, who had the idea to honor her mother by gathering donations from family members to give to a local organization that continued the work that was closest to Kay’s heart. The family has deep roots in Wetzel County, but many live out of state. Cristi hoped this might become an annual tradition to give back to their hometown around Kay’s September birthday.

Read Aloud West Virginia was selected as the organization to support because we work to instill a love of reading in children, just like Kay did. All donations directed to this project will be used in Wetzel County to continue to motivate local kids to read for fun by offering free, high quality books and magazines to children and families, with the long-term goal of connecting with new volunteers and establishing a Wetzel County Read Aloud chapter.

We are truly honored to have been chosen as the recipient of these memorial donations and are deeply touched by this new model of giving. With so many people forced to leave West Virginia in recent years, it’s heartening to meet a family dedicated to giving back to the place they come from and making it better for those that remain. This openhearted spirit bolsters our belief that by working together, across industries, counties, and communities, we can create a more literate, prosperous West Virginia.

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Thank you to all of our Read-A-Palooza 2020 donors and sponsors

Read-A-Palooza 2020 was our biggest and best fundraising event to date. We had an amazing volunteer committee who helped us create a beautiful celebration of Read Aloud’s history and original founders, honoring the past leadership of Mary Kay Bond and looking to the future. We had scores of donors and supporters who purchased tickets and sent donations in Mary Kay’s honor. Even on a weeknight, 13 of our volunteer county chapters were represented, some traveling a great distance to attend. Twenty-six sponsors made this event possible, and they are listed below with links to their individual websites so you can learn more about them.


Signature Sponsors


Platinum Sponsors

The Becker Family


Gold Sponsors

Kim & Greg Burton

William Maxwell Davis


Silver Sponsors


Bronze Sponsors

Ned & Barbara Rose

Juli Hatcher Mock

David & Susan Turnbull

Tom Heywood & Melody Simpson


Read Aloud would not be able to do the important work of motivating West Virginia students to read for fun without the support of local businesses, corporate sponsors, private foundations, and individual donors. As master of ceremonies Tom Tinder shared with the crowd at Read-A-Palooza, we serve 23% of PK-8th graders with an annual budget under $200,000. Every dollar given to Read Aloud is carefully and strategically spent to make the best impact on the children of West Virginia. As little as $100 can supply an entire class of students with high quality, high interest books to add to their home libraries.

That’s why we’d like to say a very special thank you to all of our donors and sponsors who have helped us to secure not only Read Aloud’s future, but the future of literacy in WV.

And for supporters who are still considering donating, it’s never too late! Any amount is significant. Even $5 can put a new book in the hands of a child to help them fall in love with reading.

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Roofing company expands Summer Book Binge to Wood

Wood County’s Jefferson Elementary School is getting its own Summer Book Binge and a Snuggle & Read event, thanks to a $20,600 grant from Tri-State Roofing & Sheet Metal Company.

Read Aloud’s Summer Book Binge is based on research at Vanderbilt University that found about half a dozen freely chosen books given to students at the end of the school year was more effective at preventing summer learning loss than $3,000 worth of summer school.

Each of Jefferson’s 400 students will browse and “order” six books this spring, which will then be personalized, packed and delivered in a book bag at a festive event at the end of the school year.

Read Aloud’s Summer Book Binge was started at Crichton Elementary School in Greenbrier County, where reading scores jumped from the bottom in the county to the top in four years.

Children who have high-interest books and adults to make a big deal of reading for fun, will read for pleasure and maintain or even gain skills over the summer.

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Ways to contribute & why we ask

Our volunteer readers and chapters are the face of Read Aloud, doing the rewarding work, week after week, of motivating children to read for fun. Children who read for pleasure grow into better readers and are more likely to excel in school and beyond. That makes Read Aloud a long-term economic development program.

By supporting Read Aloud, donors make possible the recruitment and organization of our army of 1,100 weekly volunteers, intentional book distribution efforts that stress children’s book choice and ownership, and public education programs that teach families about the importance of reading together.

Ways to give to Read Aloud WV:

  • Give to our Annual Fund.
    Read Aloud West Virginia exists entirely on donations from individuals, businesses and foundations. Read Aloud supporters make everything else possible – winning grants and awards for book distribution, leveraging gifts into higher-impact projects, and collaborating with schools and other groups (see page 1). Mailing a check is still the most efficient way to give. Donors are also welcome to give here on our website.

  • Direct a Required Minimum Distribution from a tax-deferred account.
    At age 70½, the federal government requires owners of tax-deferred retirement accounts to take a minimum distribution. Have your financial institution send the disbursement directly to a charity, such as Read Aloud, and the IRS doesn’t count it as taxable income. If it is $500 or more, it may also qualify for state NIP tax credits.

  • Qualify for NIP tax credits.
    Donate $500 or more to a qualifying organization, such as Read Aloud, and receive West Virginia Neighborhood Investment Program tax credits. The credits reduce state personal income tax or corporate net income tax bills by as much as half the gift amount. They can be spread out and used over a five-year period. Donors can receive as much as $100,000 a year in NIP tax credits. Taxpayers may reduce their tax bills by no more than half. Because it is a tax credit, it lowers a tax bill whether the taxpayer itemizes or not.

  • If you are a Kroger customer, set your Kroger Plus card account to benefit Read Aloud West Virginia. Then, shop as usual, and every quarter, Kroger sends Read Aloud a check for a percentage of your spending. Encourage a friend or relative to sign up, too. This kind of passive income is extremely efficient for an organization.

  • If you shop at Amazon, go to smile.amazon.com. Designate Read Aloud as your chosen charity, and as you shop, Amazon will forward a commission to Read Aloud. You must remember to shop at smile.amazon.com for Read Aloud to benefit. Recruit a friend and double your impact.

  • Shop at Books-a-Million’s West Virginia stores on Saturday, Sept. 21. Save the date. When you shop at a BAM! store in Barboursville, Beckley, Bluefield, Bridgeport, Charleston, Martinsburg, Morgantown, Vienna or Wheeling on Sept. 21 and mention Read Aloud at the check-out, Books-a-Million will donate a generous percentage of your purchase to Read Aloud West Virginia.

If you’re only able to give your time right now, please visit our Get Involved page to learn more. We’re so grateful for every donation that comes in and every volunteer that shows up. It’s impossible to say it enough, but we try – thank you for all you do for WV literacy and Read Aloud WV.

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Read Aloud WV Awarded NIP Tax Credits

You heard correctly, folks! Our NIP tax credits are in, and we are ready to take donations. With a donation of $500 or more, you can get a state tax break for half of the amount.

What does this mean for Read Aloud WV? Well, it means we receive more donations that help us put books in the hands of WV children, and we get to give something back to our donors (besides a heartfelt thank you!) that will help them with their state tax bill at the end of the year.

As the majority of our funding comes directly from individual donors, this can make a huge difference in the projects we’re able to implement in a year. The more our donors are able to help us now, the less we have to fundraise later in the year when our book distributions are in full-swing. This means more time spent directly coordinating with schools and volunteers to get kids the tools they need to grow their reading skills.

Interested in giving early, getting a tax break, and helping us to change the literacy climate in WV? You can donate by:

  • Mailing a check to Read Aloud WV, PO Box 1784, Charleston, WV 25326 (this is preferred, as there are no fees associated with your donation and we receive the full amount to put towards our programs).
  • Clicking the Donate button in our menu to make a secure donation through Square.
  • Going to paypal.me/readaloudwv to make a secure donation through PayPal.

Just be sure to donate $500 or more and put NIP in the memo or notes section, depending on your payment method. We don’t have an unlimited number of credits to give out, however, so it’s a good idea to donate early to ensure you get the tax credit.

Give us a call if you have any questions at (304) 345-5212.

We’re so grateful for the generosity of all of our donors over the years. You make Read Aloud’s work possible in your communities. You help children build a love of reading that will serve them their entire lives. Thank you.

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UPS Store Inc. awards Read Aloud WV $10,000 worth of books

The UPS Store, Inc. named Read Aloud West Virginia as one of 10 non-profit organizations across the country to each receive $10,000 worth of books to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the Toys for Tots® Literacy Program, which promotes children’s literacy in low-income and disadvantaged communities across the United States.

The UPS Store, Inc. will donate $10,000 worth of books from Scholastic.

The UPS Store, Inc. invited the public to nominate qualifying charitable and philanthropic groups, receiving over 1,000 submissions. Kanawha County volunteer Lesley McCallister nominated Read Aloud.

A selection committee reviewed all nominations and chose the 10 recipients based on their mission to serving children in underserved communities, especially by providing educational resources and enrichment.

Our Annual Fund update: Why we ask

As we near the end of the year, Read Aloud West Virginia is grateful to the many donors, friends and volunteers who support our efforts that motivate children to want to read. We cannot do it without you.

Our Annual Fund drive continues. We are trying to reach goals for next year’s work. If you have not given and are considering, please know:

1. Read Aloud has Neighborhood Investment Program tax credits available. Those credits can be used any time over the next five years, starting with the donation year. They lower a West Virginia personal income tax bill or a corporate net income tax bill by as much as half the gift amount starting with donations of at least $500. Donors may receive no more than $100,000 a year in NIP credits, and credits cannot be used to reduced a tax bill by more than half. That means a $10,000 donation would cut a tax bill by $5,000. A $500 donation would reduce a tax bill by $250.

2. What we are doing is working. First, Read Aloud focuses on motivating children to want to read, not fussing at them to read.

Read Aloud’s Annual Fund Drive — Why we ask

Letters will arrive in mailboxes any day now — it’s time for Read Aloud West Virginia’s 2018-2019 Annual Fund drive.

Why does a mostly volunteer organization need to raise money?  Read Aloud’s work, even its very existence, depends on funds provided by our wonderful donors. These contributions enable our staff to support local chapters and grow our program.

While volunteer chapters are the face of Read Aloud in their respective communities, we know from experience that they count on an office and staff to support them. We’ve actually tried it the other way with all volunteers. Read Aloud was founded in 1987 but from 2000-2007, we existed without staff, and the number of chapters fell from 53 to four in that time period.

Read Aloud was re-established with a central office in 2007-2008. Quality and involvement have grown steadily since. Today, we serve more than 200 schools in 31 counties.

That progress would not be possible without our generous donors.

Read Aloud routinely evaluates efforts to make sure we put time, effort and money where they do the most good to help West Virginia children grow into successful readers and students. Over time, our activities have been winnowed down to four broad categories: weekly classroom Read Aloud volunteers, distribution of books, classroom enrichment and public education.

During the last school year, Read Aloud volunteers reached 33,000 students across the state. Imagine 33,000 students, week after week, enjoying new books or old favorites, each student seeing a “live commercial” for reading together, just for fun.

As comments from teachers in this newsletter show, students of all ages look forward to this time and “light up” when their Read Aloud reader enters the room.

That is what our donors make possible.

That is why the letters are on their way, to encourage you to consider making a donation to help us continue the work of getting books in the hands and on the minds of West Virginia’s children.

Thank you for reading and for being a Read Aloud supporter.


We have Neighborhood Investment Tax Credits available while they last.

Checks can be made payable to:

Read Aloud West Virginia
P.O. Box 1784
Charleston, WV 25326

Questions? Call 304-345-5212 or email readaloud@frontier.com

Thank you