The Bluegrass Literacy Project is a student-led, student-run nonprofit dedicated to improving English language literacy among the youth of Kentucky. We provide free etymology workshops and sponsor the Scripps Regional Spelling Bee. Additionally, the Project conducts service projects through our school chapters to benefit youth in our community.

Currently we are working on a mobile library initiative called Grace’s Reading Room – a portable system designed to provide access to reading materials to hospitalized children as well as to children in underserved areas in and around Louisville. We plan to hold our first “pop-up” library event at Norton Children’s Hospital in January 2020. Volunteers from local high schools will be present at every event to read to children and provide suggestions for books. During
the summer months, we plan to move our library outside to parks and neighborhoods in low-income areas. We believe our pop-up library events have the potential to combat “summer slide,” a phenomenon that occurs among low-income children leading to a loss in reading ability when school is not in session. Events will be held at different locations on a weekly basis to ensure that we reach as many children as possible.

We are very excited about Grace’s Reading Room – our pop-up library events have the potential to reach young readers wherever they are and bring our community together in parks, parking lots, and neighborhoods to share in the simple pleasure of reading.