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Contact: Elizabeth Gardner

(702) 885-2243
Gardne1@unlv.nevada.edu
16 November, 2016

Backgrounder
Spread the Word Nevada Continues to Grow

Proper funding for education continues to rise to the forefront of national and state-level concerns. The
Nevada school system historically ranks low in school funding, English fluency and chance of success for
students. The Henderson-based childrens literacy nonprofit, Spread the Word Nevada combats failing
literacy rates in Clark County by providing children with at-home libraries at no cost at all to the schools
or families.
Students from low-income families across the Las Vegas valley lack books at home. Hispanic children in
particular suffer from various social pressures such as poverty and language barriers. Hispanics make up
40 percent of the student population, and represent 71 percent of students served by Spread the Word. The
majority of Hispanic students do not have books at home in either English or Spanish.
Spread the Word Nevada aims to curb failing literacy rates across Las Vegas, North Las Vegas and
Henderson by expanding the programs and the organizations reach.
Direct Service Programs
Spread the Word Nevada volunteers offer one-on-one and group assistance to children in the sponsored
schools. The Kids to Kids program gives every student in the sponsored schools a free book every month.
This enables students to read at home and strengthen language and comprehension skills.
Spread the Word volunteers also visit schools for Breakfast and Snack Time with Books programs where
students reading levels are accessed. Spread the Word encourages parents and guardians to attend, so
they become educated about the value of early development skills in reading, writing and verbal skills.
The Books & Buddies program allows selected children to receive specialized one-on-one attention with
a Spread the Word volunteer.
Spreading the Word
To help each individual student, Spread the Word must first acquire an entire school. Since 2001, Spread
the Word has been adopted in 42 elementary schools. During the 2015-2016 school year, Spread the Word
added six new schools to its roster, and the organization expects to sponsor an additional six schools
every year for the next three years, resulting in 60 schools adopted by 2019.
Lisa Hartig and Laurie Habighorst co-founded Spread the Word in 2001. The warehouse is located at
1065 American Pacific Drive, Suite 160, Henderson, NV 89074.

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