Ready Readers Presents...

Greetings! We are the Ready Readers. Ready Readers is an Indiegogo Campaign created to raise funds for Friends of Literacy, a Knoxville nonprofit. Friends of Literacy strives to educate and empower individuals within the Knoxville community who do not have the adequate education to tackle the various tasks of everyday life.

Did you know that 10% of adults in Knoxville are functionally illiterate? This means that 10% of Knoxville adults lack the basic education needed to navigate the world.

Did you know that the nation’s illiteracy rate is 14%. This means that about 46 million people in the US do not know how to read.

Illiteracy within our community is a serious issue that needs to be addressed. Ready Readers hopes to bring attention to these numbers. We want to help Friends of Literacy keep its doors open to continue fighting illiteracy in Knoxville.

During this journey, we plan to write blogs for you about our favorite books.

Meet the Group: Lexi Crawford

Hi! My name is Lexi Crawford and I am a first year here at UT Knox. I am from Marietta Georgia, which is about 20 minutes outside of Atlanta. I am majoring in Biochemistry and Molecular and Cellular Biology.

When I first began this project I was unsure of what exactly it entailed. All of the nonprofits our class was offered were so different and they all in some way interested me. In the end, I chose to advocate for Friends of Literacy because I knew that it was a group that truly changed lives. Being able to go to the classrooms and see how excited the students got when they were spelling or reading words was truly a once in a lifetime experience.

For basically my entire life up to this point I have been in school, so learning that so many people in this nation are illiterate was a big shock. We go everyday reading signs, menus, flyers, labels, you name it, so not being able to read can really put a barrier between you and the rest of the world. This is why Friends of Literacy has set out to help fight illiteracy in Knoxville.

I am encouraged by how hard our group has worked to create this campaign and excited to see it up and running!

Reid Courtney:

Hello! My name is Reid Courtney. I am from a small town in Western Kentucky. I am a first year student at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, and I am studying Recreation and Sport Management. 

I chose to advocate for Friends of Literacy because of my background with the education system. Growing up, I was always surrounded by educational leaders. My mom is currently a teacher, my grandma was a teacher and administrator, my grandpa was a teacher, and I have numerous aunts and uncles who have worked within the field of education. I think it is safe to say that I learned the importance of education at a very young age.

While in high school, I volunteered for a program called Read to Lead. My high school partnered with a local elementary school, and each week I met with a student to work on improving his/her comprehension skills. 

I believe everyone deserves the right to an education. I am super excited to bring you all along on this journey with me as my group and I fundraise money for an organization that will provide everyone with this right.

Joel Flynn:

Hi! I am Joel Flynn. I am from Clarksville, Tennessee, and I am a business major here at UT. I chose to advocate for Friends of Literacy because I believe that everyone should have the basic knowledge of reading and math in order to live in our world. 

I think that education is an important part of everyone’s life. Friends of Literacy provides people in our community with the opportunity to receive an education. During this campaign, I have learned about the incredible needs of the Knoxville community when it comes to illiteracy. I think that by advocating for this program, I can make a difference in my community and the world.  

Ian Pollock:

Hi! My name is Ian Pollock. I am from Memphis TN. I am a transfer student from Columbia State Community College, currently I am attending the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. I am majoring in logistics. 

I was interested in friends of literacy because literacy education is a very direct and effective way of improving my community. Very few things have as dramatic an impact on someone's life as literacy. Beyond the happiness and personal fulfilment that this grants the material improvements on a community are extraordinary. Education is one of the best ways to improve people's lives. 

Most of my family members went to college and my grandmother was a teacher, so I grew up with the idea that education is a necessity. I hope that through Friends of Literacy I can help spread that necessity to people who otherwise wouldn't have it.