Several UALR students recently partnered with AR Kids Read, a local initiative that recruits and trains tutors to help children with reading, as part of a capstone project in mass communication.

Students enrolled in the public relations campaigns course provided two strategic communication plans for AR Kids, one for increasing volunteers, the other for increasing donors.

Recent UALR graduate Kirsten Elliott of Sherwood led the fundraising team and also helped coordinate media outreach for a book distribution event on Wednesday, May 21, at Booker Arts Magnet School in Little Rock.

Elliot, who graduated May 17 with degrees in political science and mass communication, is now employed with AR Kids after interning with the nonprofit.

“The interesting thing is when you develop a campaign for class, you basically have a semester to do it. In real life, though, you might have a week,” she said. “And being a nonprofit poses another set of challenges, such as funding and small staffs.”

Another UALR student, senior Janet Patrick of Mayflower, was on the team focused on increasing volunteers for AR Kids. Her team created a fact sheet filled with infographics detailing the critical need for literacy intervention for young persons.

Seven out of 10 fourth graders in Arkansas are not reading at proficient levels, according to AR Kids Read Executive Director Charlie Conklin. Conklin stressed the importance of resources, such as UALR, to support the mission of the nonprofit, which was founded only 18 months ago.

“Both UALR teams did extensive research and provided alternative solutions for some of the challenges we faced,” he said, adding that the capstone experience also benefited the students who gained real-world exposure to communication planning.

The most recent AR Kids Read project will result in the distribution of more than 7,000 donated children’s books that will reach students in 44 public schools in the area. The distribution is part of a larger statewide effort to ensure children continue learning during the summer and read at grade-level by the end of third grade.