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SALT LAKE CITY — KSL received the highest national service award for its Read Today program during a ceremony in Washington, D.C.
The National Association of Broadcasters awarded KSL-TV the Service to America Award as the highest honor for service to a community. Congressmen Chris Stewart and Jim Matheson were at the nation's capitol to present the award.
"KSL-TV recognized the need to increase awareness and action for literacy," Stewart said of the Read Today program, which pairs volunteer tutors with struggling readers in their neighborhood schools.
"The program has rallied parents, grandparents, teachers and neighbors with the goal of teaching every child to read," Matheson said.
Of the 2,600 students who participated in the program in 2012, 2,043 finished the year reading at grade level.
In working with community partners, KSL took the initiative to make reading a statewide movement and priority.
KSL will receive the Read Today program test scores for the 2012-2013 school year in a few weeks, and is currently tracking the same 79 percent success rate with the students as from the previous year.
Community members are encouraged to join the tutoring movement at readtoday.com.
