Do you remember the book that got you hooked on reading? The story that ignited your imagination?

Active readers remember what made them fall in love with reading. Now, 2 News Oklahoma and Equity Bank want to help Green Country 3rd graders find the books that open them up to the world of reading.

Kids Books
Kindal Ross, left, and Mackenzie Dupuis, both fifth-graders at Borah Elementary School in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho cradle two of the three book they and more than 40 other students received Thursday, April 9, 2009 during CDA 4 Kids after school program. The Kootenai County chapter of First Book, an international non-profit organization that works with local literacy programs to distribute books to children, offered grant money to put hundreds of books into the hands of area students. (AP Photo/Coeur d'Alene Press, Shawn Gust) ** MANDATORY CREDIT **

Every month, as part of Read 2 Lead, 2 News Oklahoma and Equity Bank are going to a 3rd-grade class to give each student a book AND have a celebration of books for the entire grade!

Why are we focusing on 3rd graders? Research shows that age group is critical in turning children into readers, and right now in Tulsa, that group is falling behind—72% of Tulsa 3rd graders are not proficient in reading.

Together, we can help turn that around.

“Equity Bank believes strong reading skills lead to a strong financial future. Since 2019, when we launched our Bank on Reading program, we’ve donated thousands of books to children in our four-state footprint. It’s that same motivation that makes us excited to sponsor Read 2 Lead. One of our values is Community Focus. We take it very seriously. It means you make every effort to better your community. We thank 2 News Oklahoma for the opportunity to help, and it is our sincere hope and belief this will positively impact area kids.”

For more information about Equity Bank, visit www.equitybank.com or visit their Tulsa branch at 9292 S Delaware Ave, Tulsa, OK 74137.

PROMO Read 2 Lead

We hope this program inspires a lifetime of reading for these kids and sends them to their local library to keep reading long after they finish their Read 2 Lead books.

Encouraging readers is important to 2 News Oklahoma. We’re also part of the Give a Child a Book program, working to help get books to kids. You can DONATE to that program HERE.

'Give a Child a Book' campaign helps fuel dreams, plants seed for success