The Virgin Islands Hotel and Tourism Association has donated 600 books to the Reading to Achieve Program.
This is the third year HTA has donated books to the 12 elementary schools that participate in Reading to Achieve, a program aimed at increasing literacy in elementary schools. Sen. Shawn-Michael Malone started the program.
"The Association’s involvement speaks volume to the private sectors commitment to our children receiving the very basic communication skills needed and have our youth literate," Sen. Malone said in a press release issued Thursday.
The donated books include:
- "Black Beauty," by Anna Sewell
- "The Last Safehouse," by Barbara Greenwood
- "George Washington’s Socks," by Elvira Woodruff
- "And Not Afraid to Dare," by Tonya Bolden
- "Ain’t I A Woman," by Bell Hooks
- "My Name is Not Angelica," by Scott O'Dell (this book is set in the slavery days of St. John)
- "Any Small Goodness," by Tony Johnston
- "The Cay," by Theodore Taylor
- "Jacob’s Ladder," by Donald McCaig
"We realized that without basic skills our children are at a disadvantage, especially in the workplace," said Beverly Nicholson, President of the HTA, in the release. "If we start targeting our students from the primary level, they have an early understanding of what’s important to succeed in our challenging environment."
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