LAS VEGAS (FOX5) — A Cleveland woman who moved to Las Vegas with dreams of bringing books directly to children in underserved communities has hit a roadblock.
Chrishawanda Matthews’ bookmobile mission has been sidelined by car troubles, forcing her to seek community support to get back on the road.
She operates “Literacy in the Hood,” which stands for “Helping Out Our Disenfranchised.” It’s a program designed to deliver books to children who lack access to reading materials at home. She strategically selects communities based on literacy data.
“I’ve been checking the statistics where the testing scores are low here in Clark County, so I can kind of have an idea of where I can go,” Matthews said.
Her mobile library was supposed to be fully operational by now, but mechanical issues have derailed her plans soon after she moved to Las Vegas in July. Matthews said the drastic temperature change from Cleveland to Las Vegas has contributed to the issues the van is experiencing. The van, which was donated by singer Kelly Clarkson after she heard Matthews’ story, is currently not drivable.
“This van is generally filled to the rim with books,” Matthews explained. “We got workbooks for teenage boys. It just depends on what community we go in.”
Matthews’ literacy mission was born during the COVID-19 pandemic. She witnessed firsthand how lockdowns affected children’s access to reading materials.
“During the pandemic, we were in a lockdown, and what I noticed is children were at home without access to books,” Matthews said. “So my son and I went on social media and said you are on lockdown, pack up, clean out the kids’ room, clean out the library, and let us get those gently used books.”
The importance of early literacy became clear through her own son’s experience. Matthews started reading with him when he was just 2 years old.
“My son started reading when he was 2, so when he got to kindergarten, he was the only kid that could read in his class,” she said.
However, she said her son was bullied by the other students who did not know how to read.
“For him, what became an excited moment or delightful moment became something he really didn’t want to do,” she said.
Matthews started her literacy mission in Cleveland from the back of her own car before expanding the operation. The donated van represented a significant upgrade to her grassroots effort.
“The book van isn’t just something for me to drive, it’s a movement and right now, the movement is down because of the warranty company,” she said.
Her program targets areas with specific needs.
“Every state has a neighborhood, a hood somewhere there is low-income housing, low testing scores, so yeah literacy in the hood — coming to a hood,” Matthews said.
Matthews has launched a GoFundMe campaign to raise money for the necessary repairs. She hopes to get the van running again before the current semester ends.
“Investing in minds one book at a time,” Matthews said, describing her mission’s core philosophy.
In addition to seeking repair funds, Matthews is collecting gently used books from Clark County residents. Those interested in donating new or gently used books can email Matthews directly at [email protected]
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