The TRiO Student Success Club at the University of Arkansas Hope-Texarkana opened a "Free Little Library" on the Hope campus today. The goal of the community-based project is to encourage reading and learning in children throughout the community. The Library will consist of free books appropriate for grades K-8.

TRiO student Ally Fincher said, "Reading is an essential part of the development of children. The Free Little Library is a way to get books into children's hands as soon as possible. The goal of this project is to allow no longer money and availability to be an obstacle in supplying reading materials to our future leaders."

Bryan Smith, TRiO Education Specialist, said, "The TRiO students were excited to work on this community service project because they understand how important reading at a young age is to education. I am truly proud of the hard work they put into this project."

The Student Success Club is part of the TRiO Student Support Services program. Student Support Services is designed to meet the needs of low-income and first-generation college students in higher education. The basic purpose of the program is to provide support services to students which will enhance their academic skills, increase their retention and graduation rates, and, as appropriate, facilitate their entrance into upper-level and professional programs.

For more information or to donate books, contact Bryan Smith at 870-722-8248 or email [email protected].