KNOX COUNTY, Tenn. — Knox County Mayor Glenn Jacobs' announced plans to expand a program to encourage reading this month, doubling the previous program's goals.
He is asking the community to participate in Read City USA: Read Around the World and log 500,000 hours reading.
Last May, the mayor launched a community initiative in the form of Read City USA Goes to the Moon in which he challenged the community to collectively read 250,000 hours and track them using the Beanstack Tracker App. The community exceeded the goal.
Now he's doubled the goal. Comparing hours-read to miles-traveled, Knox County readers would fly around the world 25 times.
At its core, Read City USA is a collaborative effort to help all children, regardless of their socio-economic background, learn to read early and read well.
Throughout the 2019 campaign, big milestones were hit. The mayor said now it's time to look forward to Read City USA Challenge 2020.