"The Summer Slide" -- it's not as fun as it sounds. Over summer vacation students who don't read are at risk of losing valuable reading skills gained over the past year. A summer of "brain drain" can have lasting impacts as students are forced to catch up or fall behind.

But why does it happen? And how can we prevent it?

Much of the slide is due to a student's lack of access to reading material. The Thomasville Junior Service League started the Reading Roundup to fix that issue, bringing new and gently used books to children throughout Thomas County. By joining forces with the YMCA, the members of JSL travel to different locations hosting the Y's Happy Helpings summer meal program to hand out free books to any child who wants one. 

It is our goal to beat the Summer Slide in our community by providing local children with greater access to books.