2025 Georgia Reads Community Winners
Georgia Reads recognizes that communities that unify and empower partners are positioned to make significant improvements in literacy. Our mission is to unify and empower the fragmented literacy ecosystem from Savannah to Columbus, Rome to Augusta, Valdosta to Athens, and every community in between. Georgia Reads Communities will be the shining stars in changing the trajectory of literacy in our state.
Ten community partnerships were awarded $25,000 and recognized as Georgia Reads Communities on February 25, 2025. Learn these communities’ best practices and join this coveted group of inaugural partnerships in making your community a shining example of literacy improvements.
It’s a new dawn – let’s turn the page to a brighter future!
Believe Greater Dalton
Dalton, GA
Believe Greater Dalton, the Strategic Planning Initiative of the Greater Dalton Chamber of Commerce
A partnership between Dalton Public Schools, Whitfield County Schools, Dalton State College, Georgia Northwestern Technical College, United Way, Family Connections, local childcare centers, healthcare professionals from Vitruvian Health and the Anna Shaw Children’s Institute, faith-based organizations, and various non-profit organizations and governmental agencies vital to serving children
Partnership Purpose: Over the past decade, Believe Greater Dalton has built a framework of collaborative partners whose sole purpose is to improve school readiness and ensure all children are reading at grade level by third grade.
Funding Focus: Books for school literacy events and coordination and resources for summer reading programs for two counties
Website: www.believegreaterdalton.com
Ben Hill School District
Fitzgerald, GA
Ben Hill School District, an L4GA Community
A partnership between Ben Hill County School District, Community in Schools, Literacy for Learning, Living and Leading in Georgia (L4GA – federal grant used for this initiative), Certified Literate Community Partnership (CLCP) – Adult Education, Fitzgerald-Ben Hill Chamber of Commerce, Dorminy Medical Center, the Monitor Enrichment Program, civic organizations, PTO, and several private businesses and industries in Fitzgerald and Ben Hill County
Partnership Purpose: Community in Schools (CIS) collaborates with the Ben Hill County Schools to address barriers that students face, such as poverty, lack of resources, and academic challenges. CIS places site coordinators within schools to build relationships with students and families and offer mentorship, counseling, and academic support.
Funding Focus: Summer reading program, books, summer reading resources and supplies, and a kick-off event
Website: www.ben-hill.k12.ga.us
Black Child Development Institute Read to Succeed
Greater Atlanta, GA
Black Child Development Institute Read to Succeed
A partnership between the United Way of Greater Atlanta, Georgia Department of Early Care and Learning (DECAL), the Georgia Early Education Alliance for Ready Students, and the Atlanta Speech School's Rollins Center for Language and Literacy
Partnership Purpose: The Read to Succeed program aims to promote early literacy and language development for families with children birth to eight years. The program assists families in establishing home libraries filled with culturally responsive and developmentally appropriate children's books.
Funding Focus: Books/supplies, program coordination, community literacy, and educator professional learning
Website: www.bcdiatlanta.org
Charlton County Board of Education
Charlton County, GA
Charlton County Board of Education, an L4GA Community
A partnership between Charlton County School District, Ferst Readers, and more than 40 local businesses and/or organizations
Partnership Purpose: Charlton County community leaders aim to foster a shared, literacy-focused mindset to improve student achievement. The mission of the partnership is to promote a lifelong love of literacy among Charlton families and their children.
Funding Focus: Early learners and families and community literacy events
Website: www.charlton.k12.ga.us
Cobb Collaborative, Inc.
Cobb County, GA
Cobb Collaborative, Inc.
A partnership between Cobb County Public Library, Cobb & Douglas Public Health, First Christian Church of Mableton, Marietta City Schools, faith communities, DECAL, other nonprofits, and Smyrna Library
Partnership Purpose: The Cobb Collaborative is the local point of contact for the Get Georgia Reading Campaign and engages a cross-sector group of child and family-facing advocates to support the community literacy strategy.
Funding Focus: Literacy ambassadors, family literacy resources, books, communication, support for Mayor’s Book Clubs, and a community story walk trail
Website: www.cobbcollaborative.org
Dooly County Schools
Dooly County, GA
Dooly County Schools, an L4GA Community
A partnership between Dooly County Schools, Family Connections, and Albany Primary Health
Partnership Purpose: Through the L4GA grant, the district has created a community focus to support literacy initiatives aimed at improving student reading outcomes.
Funding Focus: Professional learning for teachers, substitute coverage for teachers engaged in literacy training, books, literacy kits, and resources for students
Website: www.dooly.k12.ga.us
Lamar County School System
Lamar County, GA
Lamar County School System, an L4GA Community
A partnership between the City of Barnesville, Barnesville-Lamar County Library, Milner Library, Ferst Readers, E.P. Roberts Community Center, local daycare centers, and the Lamar County Health Department
Partnership Purpose: Over the past two L4GA Grant cycles, Lamar County School System (LCSS) has strengthened partnerships with local literacy organizations to boost community literacy engagement.
Funding Focus: Increased access to books for families, professional development and literacy resources for teachers of early learners, and community literacy events
Website: www.lamar.k12.ga.us
Marietta City Schools
Marietta, GA
Marietta City Schools, a Literacy and Justice for All Community
A partnership between Marietta City Schools, United Way of Greater Atlanta, Rollins Center for Language and Literacy, Cobb Collaborative, and WellStar
Partnership Purpose: Literacy & Justice for All (LJFA) is a city-wide collaboration that began in Marietta to support language and literacy from the third trimester of pregnancy through age five with the goal of building the deep reading brain of every child.
Funding Focus: Literacy-linked field trips for every kindergarten – third-grade student in the district, early learning program support for English Language Learners, and an outdoor language trail
Website: www.marietta-city.org
ReadSource and Purpose-Built Schools of Atlanta
Atlanta, GA
ReadSource and Purpose-Built Schools of Atlanta
A partnership between ReadSource, Atlanta Public Schools’ Slater Elementary and Price Middle School, and the Schenck School
Partnership Purpose: ReadSource remediation specialists provide direct literacy instruction to struggling readers at two Atlanta Public Schools, Slater Elementary and Price Middle School, in groups with a one to three specialist-to-student ratio. Sessions are approximately 30-40 minutes, two to four days a week.
Funding Focus: A trained reading remediation specialist to support student growth and improvement in reading
Website: www.readsource.com
RISE Augusta, Inc.
Augusta, GA
RISE Augusta, Inc.
A partnership between Richmond County School System, CSRA Community Foundation, Central Savannah River Regional Educational Services Agency, and Jessye Norman School of the Arts
Partnership Purpose: RISE Augusta has served Richmond County students since 1997. In 2020, the name of Communities in Schools Augusta Richmond County changed to RISE Augusta, Inc., a vibrant, totally independent organization dedicated to the community’s unique educational needs and literacy improvements.
Funding Focus: Literacy and academic support tutors and literacy-linked summer program resources
Website: www.riseaugusta.org
Meet Our Georgia Reads Coach
Malcolm Mitchell
Georgia Reads Coach
On July 1, 2024, author and Super Bowl Champion Malcolm Mitchell became the Georgia Reads Coach. Despite his football success with the University of Georgia and the New England Patriots, Malcolm’s greatest achievement is his love of reading. In 2016, he founded the Share the Magic Foundation to transform children’s lives through literacy.
The Foundation inspires young people to read by providing books and innovative programs to students in Title I schools and under-resourced communities. Read with Malcolm programs motivate and inspire all readers, emphasizing that reading is key to achieving one’s goals. Learn more at www.readwithmalcolm.com.