Author and volunteer to donate books to local elementary school

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: May 12, 2023

Washington, DC, May 12, 2023 — Christopher McNeal, founder of Million Book March and volunteer at Reading Partners DC, is donating 31 copies of the book he authored, The Kool Kat Travels The World to Leckie Elementary School located at 4201 Martin Luther King Jr Ave SW #456, Washington, DC 20032 on May 15 at 10:00 am.

“Our goal in donating The Kool Kat Travels The World to Reading Partners network of elementary schools and students is to introduce geography in a fun and exciting way. In linking the main character to travel, the book promotes exposure to new adventures outside of their communities,” McNeal says.

The book is designed to help students learn about the 50 states, their state capitals, the nation’s capital, and the seven continents. It is written in a rap cadence that helps reinforce memory with rhythm and rhyme.

“Reading Partners’ commitment to supporting students in mastering essential reading skills aligned perfectly with MBM’s Mission Statement: Reading is the foundation of education and education is the key to success,” says McNeal.

The Million Book March intends to disrupt the school-to-prison pipeline in under-resourced communities. McNeal states that politicians and journalists often claim prison planners use third-grade reading scores to predict the number of future prison beds needed. “While it has been found that this claim is mostly a myth, there is a strong connection between early low literacy skills and our country’s exploding incarceration rates,” he adds.

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Contact:
Devika Strother
240-388-8168
devika.strother@readingpartners.org
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Christopher McNeal is a Resource Development Specialist in Washington, DC. Mr. McNeal has worked in Public Service for the Washington, DC Government since 2016. He started the Million Book March, LLC in 2022. The company provides educational services through a variety of projects that inform, educate, and empower communities. He is a former University of Pittsburgh and professional basketball player. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Liberal Arts from the University of Pittsburgh in 1995. He played 6 years of professional basketball in Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic, Chile, Spain, France, and Belgium. millionbookmarch.com