AUGUSTA, Ga – April 30 – Representatives of the state and community gathered in the ARCPLS Headquarters Auditorium to celebrate Rise Augusta Receiving the distinguished Georgia Reads Award, a significant recognition of the impactful partnerships that are advancing literacy within our community. Among attendees was Julie Walker, vice chancellor for libraries and archives, state librarian, and a member of the Georgia Council on Literacy, who consistently appreciates the innovative approaches of libraries like the ARCPLS and foundations such as Rise Augusta in promoting literacy.

Delighted, Walker said, “It could not be more appropriate [Rise Augusta Receiving their award at the ARCPLS Headquarters] because I take my role on the council as one to remind everyone what the libraries are doing …every single one of them is working toward improving literacy and doing creative programming and reaching as many children in our communities as they possibly can. So, I could not be more thrilled that libraries are being celebrated here as well as this program.” 

Before being presented with their plaque and a check for $25,000 dollars, moving speeches about the importance of literacy and victorious stories of how literacy turned around the most hopeless situations were given by Richmond County Board of Education interim Superintendent Dr. Malinda Cobb, Super Bowl Champion and the official Georgia Reads Coach Malcom Mitchell and Executive Director of Rise Augusta Laurie Cook. 

This year, of the ten recipients of the Georgia Reads Award, Rise Augusta was the only that wasn’t a school. When asked what that meant to her, Cook responded, “ I am ecstatic. We never dreamed that this would happen. So it cements all the hard work. I mean, I have a great team and no one does it alone. Kudos to all my teammates.”

With a room full of those who value literacy and reinforce it with action, the ARCPLS was proud to be chosen as the soil for a historical moment’s planting and looks forward to being the ground for many more.