Gladys Hartwell was concerned about the low reading scores at Lester Elementary School, knowing that most of the children did not have books in their homes because most of the families could not afford to buy books. She organized reading rallies to get children excited about reading. She worked to get required summer reading books donated to families so that children would have access and held reading clinics during the summer to help ensure that children read the books and completed required projects that accompanied the reading assignments. Gladys recruited other parents and teachers to help. More than 100 children were served through this project and the number of Lester Elementary students who participated in the district-wide reading fair increased dramatically. Because of the successful results, the school increased reading assignments and support throughout the school year and the teachers continued to volunteer their time after school. According to the principal, "This project has increased our parent participation and provided an opportunity for parents and employees to work together. It has helped our students, our parents, and our school."