September 19, 2024
WARNER ROBINS, Ga. — Mary Ann Wilson made her way along a row of tables, picking out children’s books destined for elementary students who have fallen behind in reading.
Wilson, a member of Bethel Baptist Church in Sycamore, tucked her selections into a backpack, and, just like that, she had potentially changed the trajectory of a young life.
Studies have shown that children who fall behind their classmates in reading are more likely to drop out of school as they grow older, become dependent on government welfare programs, and to go to jail.
Knowing that, Wilson and more than 100 other women gathered at Second Baptist Church in Warner Robins on Friday to do their part to help by stuffing 3,000 books into backpacks that will be sent to at-risk students in schools across the state through an initiative dubbed Read Georgia.
“The prison system looks at how many kids are behind in reading in the third grade to determine how many beds they will need in their prisons,” said Cindy Schaeffner, a retired teacher and co-director of Read Georgia. By third grade, if you’re behind in reading, the chances of catching up are slim. That’s why we have to intervene.”
The Read Georgia book project was part of the annual Georgia Baptist Women’s two day “Spring Event” held Friday and Saturday in Warner Robins. The goal of the overall event is to inspire women to grow closer to God and to each other while making a difference in the lives of others, including through the backpack initiative.
Lorna Bius, a mobilizer for Mission Georgia, said Georgia Baptist Women have recognized the "incredible potential" of the backpack program and are broadening its reach.
In the past, Georgia Baptist churches have primarily filled backpacks for back-to-school ministries and Christmas outreaches. Bius said backpacks can be important tools in broader outreaches, including to international refugees and to women rescued from human trafficking.
Buis said refugees may arrived in the U.S. with little more than the clothes on their backs, so providing backpacks with basic essentials is crucial and can open doors to gospel conversations.
Women who have been caught up in sex trafficked may escape with next to nothing, sometimes without shoes or clothing, Bius said. That’s why Georgia Baptist churches are providing backpacks filled with necessities, including flipflops and blankets that the women can wrap themselves in.
Friday’s backpack initiative was dedicated to childhood literacy.
Churches across the state donated books and sent volunteers to put them into backpacks.
“It hurts Georgia when kids aren’t able to read,” Bius said. “When they learn to read, it helps our state. And it helps them.”
