Reading and Twelve/Twelve Legacy Programs Close 2026 School Year with Big Impact

This year, students participating in the Cooper Steel Reading Program and Twelve/Twelve Legacy Program committed to their goals and made it our most impactful school year yet!

The Reading Program sets goals for elementary students to read on a minute-read basis with 1,000 minutes earning a new pair of shoes. This year, we added a new school to the program, and students across our six participating schools read a total of 4,696,050 minutes and earned 1,889 new pairs of shoes!

This year, those minutes added up — the program saw a more than 150% increase in minutes read and a nearly 130% increase in shoes awarded year-over-year. To date, the program has supported over 6,959,461 minutes read and awarded more than 2,940 pairs of shoes.

Our Twelve/Twelve Legacy Program encourages accountability and mentorship for local high school students, which aims to create positive learning environments for students across their entire education journey. This year, we were thrilled to be joined in these efforts by 340 student volunteers who contributed 9,350 volunteer hours. Further, 11 graduating Twelve/Twelve participants were awarded scholarships for their impacts in their schools and community.

We are proud of the hard work these future leaders have put in to develop, learn, and build a strong community!