As the summer comes to a close, Boulevard Brewing is looking forward to the fall with its new Community Crowler and a series of fundraising events benefitting Lead to Read KC.
“Lead to Read KC is an organization near and dear to many Boulevardians’ hearts,” says Amber Ayres, director of consumer experience at Boulevard Brewing Company. According to Lead to Read KC, fewer than half of Kansas City, Missouri’s third graders are reading at their grade level. By the time students reach high school, matched reading levels drop to 25 percent. Literacy is a growing concern throughout the nation, and Lead to Read KC is dedicated to confronting the challenge head-on in our city.
Throughout the month of August, five dollars from each to-go crowler sold at Boulevard is donated to Lead to Read KC. “[We] help young students build a foundation of literacy for future success through direct support, including one-on-one mentoring and tutoring,” says Pauly Hart, executive director of Lead to Read KC. “Our services have been requested in more schools than ever to help combat the reading crisis,” Hart continues, acknowledging the fact that children not reading by third grade are four times more likely to drop out of high school, “so we’re excited to partner with Boulevard to get students off waitlists and into our impact-driven programs.”
If beer isn’t your thing, there’s always the weekly trivia nights, bingo, live music, and a special performance from The Elders leading up to Kansas City’s annual Irish Fest on August 22. Check out Boulevard’s full schedule.