A Community Impact

We believe that literacy is a key component ot a strong and thriving community! Grand County, Indiana is home to approximatdly 70,000 people, and research done by the Grant County Literacy Council shows that 20 percent of those residents are functionally illiterate. Research has also proven that when literacy rates decline, the negative effects on a community are significant. Lift exists to strengthen our community by improving the literacy rates of our youth!

An Individual Impact

Becoming a proficient reader in early elementary has multiple benefits for a child. Reading opens the door to a child’s academic success, imparts a love of learning and leads to higher grades in every subject. Reading has been shown to promote greater maturity, increased self-discipline as well as building a foundation of moral literacy. When a child enters Lift as a 2nd grader, they become part of a 3-year cohort which results in significantly improved literacy skills by 4th grade.

Our Focus

Literacy Improvement

Lift partners with the local school to give 2nd-4th grade students a ‘lift’ in their reading proficiency through intentional skill instruction, supported reading in highly engaging text, a modelled love for reading, and daily 1:1 reading time with a caring volunteer.

Whole Child Development

Every part of a lift day provides opportunities for students to be healthy, engaged, supported, and cahllenged as they grow. This is accomplished through literature, play, healthy snack choices, music, games, art, enrichment, and positive relationships.

Spiritual Nurture

Lift desires that each child will know Jesus and His great love for them. Lift students are connected in an age appropriate manner to scripture, prayer, music, and discussions throughout each Lift session.

Fueled by Positive Relationships

Academic success has been linked to the influence of quality relationships within an instructional setting. Lift Team Leaders provide individual, compassionate and highly skilled literacy guidance, and trained volunteers intereact with students in a loving way that helps to facilitate each child’s growth through reading and realtionships.

Thanks to the generous support from individual and organizational donors, each child who attends Lift does so at no cost to their family, thereby removing potential barriers to improving literacy rates in our community. As a nonproft, our programming relies soely on the investmnet of those who believe in the mission of Lift.