Dear Community,

Thank you for your support of the 100 Black Men of Greater Lafayette newest program; Barbers Boys, and Books: Staying Sharp for Literacy. We would like to express our sincere appreciation to the 24hr Citizen Project for providing us the opportunity to pitch the idea of placing mini-libraries in local barbershops. We are extremely grateful to the backers for their generosity in funding the initiative to increase literacy in the community.

Reading is paramount to the educational success of our kids. For students experiencing poverty, reading levels are stunningly low. Study shows that theirs a correlation between reading level and income. Higher income is linked to higher literacy. We aim to increase the literacy rate by placing a mini library in barbershops throughout the north side of Lafayette. The libraries will include age-appropriate books for elementary and middle school age kids.

We’re excited to begin installing the mini-library within the next couple of months in 15 barbershops located on the north side of Lafayette. It’s imperative that we encourage reading using various opportunities. The barbershop is a wonderful place to do so as many kids spend at least an hour waiting to get their hair cut. The barbers are equally as excited as we are to make a positive impact on the lives of these young kids. Again, thank everyone who made this possible.

Stay Sharp for Literacy!