Atmos Energy’s effort to fuel bright minds and healthy futures for our kids is a central pillar of our Fueling Safe and Thriving Communities program, and we are particularly focused on providing the resources children need to read at grade level by third grade. As we mark the 105th anniversary of Children’s Book Week – the longest running national celebration of books for young people and the joy of reading – we are thrilled to join more than 2,300 schools, libraries, and bookstores nationwide that are commemorating this beloved tradition from May 6 through May 12.

Research demonstrates that children who develop an early interest in reading experience benefits that extend into other areas of learning such as improved vocabulary and cognitive development, and they are better equipped to excel in a wide range of subjects like science, math, and history. Third grade is a key milestone in a child’s journey because it marks the shift from “learning to read” to “reading to learn;” and deficient readers find themselves at a greater risk of falling behind after this stage.

Among the many ways we encourage early childhood literacy are book giveaways at local schools. We recently hosted one such giveaway in Ohio County, Ky., during the 30th annual “Celebrate the Child” event which aims to empower youth in the community. Atmos Energy’s booth featured an appearance by our safety mascot, Gus the Gopher, and more than 450 books were given to children who came by to visit. Meanwhile in Midland, Texas, we had a large presence at the Ector County Independent School District (ECISD) Education Foundation’s “Bookworms Literacy Festival,” where we gave away more than 500 books as well as Gus & Rosie coloring pages for the youngest attendees.

We are also in the midst of a yearlong partnership with the Texas Health Resources Foundation to provide 10,000 free books to almost 6,000 children across five North Texas counties. Just last week, we hosted a two-day book fair at Forest Lane Academy in Dallas where 1,300 books were donated to 650 students. Also, the Lewisville (Texas) Education Foundation was pleased to accept a donation that will be used to support their new World Language Library, which is available to all emerging bilingual students with 684 books that span nine languages including Arabic, Chinese, Spanish, and more.

Our ongoing partnership with Vooks is one of the most innovative ways we inspire a love of reading that will last a lifetime. Vooks is a streaming library of animated storybooks that bring children’s imaginations to life, and Atmos Energy offers a free one-year subscription that allows teachers and parents to share an ever-expanding collection of immersive experiences with their kids on any smartphone or tablet. During the 2022-2023 school year, over 1 million books were read by more than 173,000 kids who had access to the Vooks library of 360 titles. That is a total of 4.2 million minutes spent with a Vooks title, and an average of six books enjoyed by every student.

Atmos Energy also proudly sponsors programs and events that promote the joy of reading in our communities. We recently donated $10,000 to the Greenville Independent School District which will help kick off their brand new Pawsitive Pages Literacy Program, and we are helping to fund a new Sulphur Springs ISD literacy program where each elementary school library in the district will receive two Atmos Energy stationary bikes so kids can read a book while exercising! Another example is Bookmarks, a Dallas Public Library located inside the NorthPark Center shopping mall where Atmos Energy sponsors all events including weekly early literacy programming and story time events for all ages

During Children’s Book Week and every day of the year, Atmos Energy is proud to fuel bright minds and healthy futures for our kids by encouraging early literacy. To learn more, please review our Corporate Responsibility and Sustainability Report at atmosenergy.com/sustainability/community.