Page 2 - Florida Sentinel 2-11-20

Feature
Student Starts Reading Program With $100 Gift
BY IRIS B. HOLTON Sentinel City Editor
Landric Keys is an 8- year-old Lomax Elementary School student. And, like most youngsters, he received gifts during the Christmas season of 2018.
His great grandmother presented him with a gift of $100. His parents expected him to spend the money on himself. But Landric de- cided he wanted to start a charity.
With the help of his fa- ther, LaShante and mother, Zenita, they created the Read & Share Program. He used the money to purchase books to read to pre-school children. He then gives the children their own copy of the book to take home.
LANDRIC KEYS ... Founded the Read & Share Program
His father applied for the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Day of Service Grant for the program. He was awarded a $5,000 donation by the City
of St. Petersburg to continue the program throughout the Tampa Bay Area.
After receiving the grant, he and his parents re- searched and purchased books that highlight African American history. One of the books he gave away is about a trip to the African Ameri- can Museum in Washington, D. C.
Landric said, “Not many people have books to read in- side their house. So they can only read in the library and school. I can give them a book and they can challenge themselves.
“My parents told me they would help me with anything I can achieve. They are still helping me and they will al- ways help me,” he said.
His plans are to expand
Landric is shown reading to a group of pre-school students.
the program to include nurs- ing homes and to read to people with vision problems and may not get to read as much as they would like.
Anyone wishing to make abookormonetarydonation can visit: www.donorbox.org/lan- drics-readandshare.
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