BEGINNINGS

How Hand-in-Hand Came to Be.

Rex and Sue Smith wanted to do something to help at-risk children improve their reading and comprehension skills. Their goal was to enable disadvantaged kids to compete in society with children of all income levels. So in 2003, the Smiths established Hand-in-Hand, their family foundation, to launch Read a Book, See the World, an innovative reading program for children at a Detroit elementary school.

Working in partnership with kids, parents and teachers, the foundation has been successful at raising to grade level the reading proficiency of about 100 at-risk children each year since the program's inception. The Read a Book, See the World reading program has provided these children with the ability to read and comprehend—the most important skill they need to learn other subjects and improve their lives. As a reading program that rewards progress, Read a Book, See the World could be the model for other efforts to help at-risk children reach their full potential.

Our Mission: To empower students with reading skills for life and to motivate them to apply their knowledge to become more independent and productive children in a highly competitive school atmosphere, as well as to help develop them into responsible and contributing citizens in their community.