Energy Express returns to Kanawha County on Monday with a new site at Pratt Elementary and is seeking volunteers to help read to children, serve meals and donate supplies. Volunteers are welcome, ages 12 and up.
More than 30 children from Pratt and surrounding communities will participate in the summer program, which is brought to counties by West Virginia Extension Service and AmeriCorps. Children spend their days in a print-rich environment where they read, write, and create artwork.
Through a combination of healthy breakfasts, lunches, and learning activities, the Energy Express program continues to improve the lives of children in Kanawha County. The program is designed to provide learning opportunities and nutrition during the summer months, when children from low-income areas are most at risk for falling into the "summer slide." The summer slide occurs when children fall behind academically because they do not build or maintain their reading skills throughout the summer months.
Available at 80 sites statewide, the Energy Express program helps approximately 3,400 children who are entering first through sixth grades. In addition to these state partners, county programs rely on a tremendous amount of local support. Local partners include Title I in Kanawha County.
The benefits of Energy Express extend beyond the six weeks of summer. Each week every child receives a book to take home and keep.
For more information, to volunteer, or to donate supplies for the program, call Samantha Sheppard, the community coordinator, at 304-982-2915.