The first bookshelf built by Kent State University for the
United Way of Portage County’s Big Red Bookshelf project
is delivered to a daycare center in Ravenna, Ohio. Pictured
are (from left to right) Beatrice Mitchell, Sunday school
superintendent at the Allen Chapel AME Church; Barb Boltz,
project director for enrollment data and systems support at
Kent State; Stephanie Rummel, director of development at
the United Way of Portage County; Brian Duchon, president
and CEO of the United Way of Portage County; and Shirley
Powell, a member of the church.

In an effort to promote early childhood literacy, Kent State University has teamed up with the United Way of Portage County on the Big Red Bookshelf project. The project places bookshelves that are built and painted bright red in early childhood education facilities around Portage County.

Volunteers from Kent State’s Division of Enrollment Management and Student Affairs gathered on March 19 in the lobby area of the Kent Student Center, where they constructed and painted three bookshelves. Concurrent with the assembly of the bookshelves, the division ran a book drive for new and gently used children’s books, suitable for children from birth through third grade. The book drive had six drop-off points throughout campus.

On March 28, the United Way placed the first bookshelf built by Kent State at a daycare center in Ravenna, Ohio. The other two bookshelves will be placed at Head Start centers.

The inspiration for the Big Red Bookshelf project came from Kent State senior Leigh Knaus while doing an internship at the United Way. Two bookshelves built by volunteers from AMETEK have already been placed in childcare centers, and children can choose a book and take it home. Research has shown that more than 60 percent of Portage County kindergarteners need supplemental instruction, and giving them access to printed material is a successful way to improve reading achievement.

“The United Way wanted a standardized look for the bookshelves so that they could hand instructions to groups to build their own,” says Barb Boltz, project director for enrollment data and systems support at Kent State. “We were able to do that, so all shelves will now be consistent. The goal is to get the Big Red Bookshelves throughout the county in all childcare centers, especially those that serve low-income students. The children would be able to take books home, keep them and share them with their family to develop a culture of reading.”

Boltz says groups including the university’s Construction Management Student Organization have expressed interest in building bookshelves for the project.

For more information about the Big Red Bookshelf project and how to get involved, contact Stephanie Rummel, director of development at the United Way of Portage County, at stephanier@uwportage.org.

For more information about the United Way of Portage County, visit www.uwportage.org.