This summer, students at the Swope Corridor Renaissance/Upper Room, Inc. read and passed quizzes on 202,084 books! This was an all-time record for the students, who read 155,000 last summer. According to Executive Director, Jerry McEvoy, “Not only did the students read a jaw-dropping number of books, but they also showed significant gains in their reading levels. On average, Upper Room students gained 5 months in reading over the 8-week Summer Program. Our only explanation is that our students must be ‘Super Heroes’!”
The Upper Room is a neighborhood-based non-profit organization providing high-quality out-ofschool education programs to low-income families in the urban area of KC. The mission is “Education for Life.” The after school and summer programs provide education to the children and prepare them for a greater future. These opportunities fight poverty and try to escalate the standard of living for all those in the urban core at no cost to the families. There are close to 400 employees serving more than 3,000 students each year. Visit www.upperroomprogram.org to see how you can help!