Read Today: Deseret Management Corp.'s initiative is to reinforce childhood reading

Written words have magic, as anyone who has ever read a book that has transported them to a different time or place can testify.

Written words have power, as anyone who has been enlightened, encouraged or moved by a book or story can tell.

Written words spark the imagination, expand the mind, deliver knowledge and evoke feelings in ways that can last a lifetime.

They do all this and more — but only if you can read them.

Everything you always hear about books is true, says Mark Willes, president and CEO of Deseret Management Corp. "They open the world. They provide insight. Reading is essential."

Even more essential, he says, is that kids learn to read at a young age. "Research shows that if kids don't learn to read at grade level by the third grade, they will never catch up."

And that has tragic consequences not only for them, but for everyone. "Kids who can't read obviously can't study other subjects. But study after study show that those who grow up not being able to read are less likely to get a good job. They are more likely to go on drugs. They are more likely to go on welfare. They are more likely to go to prison. The imperative to help kids learn to read is real."

For that reason, the Deseret Management Corp.'s Deseret Media Companies — Deseret News, KSL Television and Radio, Deseret Book and Deseret Digital Media — are launching a literacy initiative called Read Today.

These companies are already doing a lot of work in this area, Willes says. "This initiative helps us to line up our resources, reinforce each other, leverage one set of actions against another so that combined results will be greater than the individual parts."

There is also a lot going on in schools and the community in this area that Read Today hopes to enhance, Willes says. "We are not going to reinvent the wheel. We are not looking to replace any of these programs. We hope to be able to connect the dots. With our media outlets, we are in a position to increase awareness."

The initiative has goals that are measurable, among them increased test scores and a boost in national rankings, says Nadine Wimmer, KSL anchorwoman and chairwoman of the Read Today action committee.

"But the only way to get there is with everyone's help. Everyone in the community needs to be focused on the importance of reading. This is a challenge not just for us, but for teachers, parents, sisters and brothers, grandparents, community leaders, business leaders. We all need to come together, to streamline our resources," she says.

"We in the media are in a position to send a strong message to parents and to schools; we can help people get excited. But to have kids read at grade level benefits so many in so many ways. We all need to work together."