Georgia Reads will host Georgia Reads Day at the Capitol to recognize the 2025 Georgia Reads Community Award winners and READBowl Champions.
Hosted by the Georgia Council on Literacy, the Georgia Reads Community Award is designed to unify and empower the fragmented literacy ecosystem, guiding it toward a new era of understanding. At this event, Georgia Reads will recognize 10 communities with at least a three-year partnership and proven literacy improvements, providing them with $25,000 to continue literacy efforts.
Malcolm Mitchell, CEO & Founder of the Share the Magic Foundation, who also serves as the Georgia Reads Coach, will announce the 10 Georgia Reads Community Award winners and the 2025 READBowl state champions. The READBowl is a free global reading competition encouraging early learners and elementary, middle, and high school students to participate. The state champions are recognized as the classrooms with the highest average reading minutes at the culmination of the competition.
Georgia Reads, an initiative of the Georgia Council on Literacy aimed at raising awareness about the need to improve reading skills in all age groups, is partnering with the Georgia Municipal Association and its nonprofit, GeorgiaForward, along with the Share the Magic Foundation for the event.
According to the 2024 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) scores, only 30 percent of Georgia’s 4th-grade students scored proficient or above in reading. Additionally, Georgia ranks 28th in the nation in 4th-grade reading proficiency.
Georgia Reads publicly recognizes that literacy is the foundation of a community's strength, influencing all aspects of life in Georgia. Strong literacy skills drive economic prosperity and benefit individuals, families, communities, employers, and our state. Enhancing literacy among Georgia's citizens will foster opportunity and interconnected prosperity for all.
WHERE:
- Second floor of the Georgia State Capitol, (206 Washington Street SW, Atlanta, GA 30334); enter on the Mitchell Street side of the Capitol (must have identification to enter)
WHEN:
- Georgia Reads Day at the Capitol, Tuesday, February 25, 2025, noon - 1:30 p.m.
WHO:
- Georgia First Lady Marty Kemp
- Georgia Lieutenant Governor Burt Jones
- Speaker of Georgia’s House of Representatives Jon Burns
- Senator Billy Hickman, Chair of the Senate and Youth Education Committee
- Representative Chris Erwin, Chair of the House Education Committee
- Scott Johnson, Chair, Georgia Council on Literacy
- Malcolm Mitchell, CEO & Founder of the Share the Magic Foundation, Georgia Reads Coach, Super Bowl Champion, Author, Speaker, and Visionary
- Larry Hanson, CEO & Executive Director, Georgia Municipal Association
About the Georgia Reads Movement:
Georgia Reads aims to address the national issue of low literacy by demonstrating the impact of a unified approach. The Georgia Reads mission is to unify and empower the fragmented literacy ecosystem, guiding it toward a new era of understanding. From Savannah to Columbus, Rome to Augusta, Valdosta to Athens, and every community in between, Georgia Reads aims to be the guiding star in transforming the societal impact of low literacy. Join Georgia Reads and support your community as they become a shining example of partnerships aligned for literacy improvements. It’s a new dawn—let’s turn the page to a brighter future.
Media Contact:
- Jason Gilbreth
- jgilbreth@trevelinokeller.com
- 847-894-8112