It has been said that “The prison industrial complex will look at the test scores of a city’s third grade population and if the test scores are low then they know that they need to start building a prison.” It’s been further observed that “a student who can’t read on grade level by 3rd grade is four times less likely to graduate by age 19 than a child who reads proficiently by this time. Add poverty to the mix, and a student is 13 times less likely to graduate on time than his or her proficient, wealthier peer.” God has gripped me to the core with these staggering stats and forced me to identify how I can use my platform to write a new narrative in the under-resourced communities in Tuscaloosa! So In the Fall of 2015 I started a Reading/Tutorial Program at The Crescent East Housing Projects in Holt. A few of our primary goals for this program are to help each of our kids become Accelerated Readers, to give them the best chance to excel in every academic subject area and to use God’s Word to transform their minds with truth!! We have a strong volunteer base from our athletic community at UA and from several local churches who help us maximize our impact!