United Way of Forsyth County Takes Book Donations for Project Graduation to Benefit Elementary School Students
When: 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on, Jan. 23-27
What: In celebration of National Reading Day, United Way of Forsyth County (UWFC) is collecting new children’s books for kids age 12 and under. The books will be donated by UWFC to elementary schools in the Winston-Salem Forsyth County School district. This effort supports increasing the high school graduation rate in Forsyth County.
Where: Winston Tower, 301 N. Main Street, 17th floor, Winston- Salem.
Who: To benefit elementary and middle school students in Forsyth County.
Why: UWFC has invested 1.2 million with the school system for its Project Graduation — an ongoing initiative to raise the district’s graduation rate to 90 percent by 2018. From a start rate of 70 percent, the current graduation rate to 85.8%. That means there are 2,509 graduates who would not have graduated pre-2007. The average graduate earns $400,000 more in a lifetime than a drop out. That amounts to a $1.004 billion dollar impact on our community. Those statistics can improve with a 90 percent graduation rate.