By Jeff Abell
"A book is a dream you hold in your hands." — Neil Gaiman, author
Olivia Keller, a Burlington native, is a living testament to Gaiman's sentiment. She is a woman on a mission — to spread literacy awareness. In doing so, she hopes to foster the hopes, aspirations, and dreams of others through greater access to books.
For Keller, 23, promoting literacy has always been a cause that has been dear to her heart. Keller believes in the power of reading to unlock a person's potential — to educate, enlighten, and enrich lives.
"Literacy affects everything we do in life," Keller said.
Keller cites troubling statistics, saying America has a literacy crisis. She said at least 14 percent of our population does not know how to read or write at a proficient level. About 65 percent of fourth-graders are not at a proficient level which makes them four times more likely to drop out of high school.
Although reading has been a long-held passion for Keller, her literacy initiative became a reality this year during her participation in the Miss Iowa Scholarship Program. Keller, who was a runner up for Miss Burlington, chose literacy as her social impact initiative.
"The social impact initiative is a platform cause that is something we care about, have experience with, and want to work to promote," she said. "I chose to do literary awareness and named my social impact initiative Read to Succeed. Learning to read and write is so important."
On the local level, Keller has put Read to Succeed in action. It hasn't been an easy task during this time of social distancing due to the COVID-19 outbreak. However, Keller rose to the challenge and utilized social media to get the word out.
Through the hashtag #Read2Succeed, Keller put out a call to those with books to donate. The goal is to get books in the hands of people who can't afford or don't have access to reading materials. Also, Keller said it provides a fun activity during this time of self-isolation, like a literary scavenger hunt.
Participating is simple: select books to donate, put them in a box or basket, place them on the front porch, and use the hashtag #ReadToSucceed to post your participation information on social media. Keller said it is important to follow all COVID-19 mitigation guidelines.
"My goal with Read to Succeed is to provide those in need (mostly our youth) with books and reading materials so that they may be able to learn and gain confidence with literacy at home," Keller said. "The response has been positive. As word gets out, I think it will grow."
As Keller gears up for the Miss Iowa Scholarship pageant this summer, she has an eye on expanding her local literacy program. Keller is looking at broadening her social media presence and reaching out to news outlets. She also would like to conduct lectures and presentations on the topic of literacy.
"There is so much more I want to do with this. I also work to inform parents and caregivers on the importance of reading to their children and helping them with English homework at home," she said.
For Keller, if one child learns to love reading or improves their writing skills through the initiative, then Read to Succeed is already a success.
"I love to read and I want to help others to love to read," she said.
(Editor's Note: Everyday Heroes is an ongoing series featuring people who make a difference in our community. If you want to nominate someone for a story, contact us at burlingtonbeacon@gmail.com or message us on Facebook.)
Photo by Joy Mack
Olivia Keller of Burlington started the Read to Succeed initiative to promote literacy. She is shown with books to be donated near the Great River Bridge in Burlington.