READING NEVER STOPS
READERS CREATE LEADERS
Readers Create Leaders boldly established itself in 2012 to provide crucial tools and valuable resources for low-income families and students considered at risk due to their poor reading scores and lack of access to resources. With confidence, Readers Create Leaders is committed to facilitating and empowering change within communities by offering the necessary resources and support to those in need.
BOOKGIVING 2025
Our literacy initiative aims to bridge the gap in reading proficiency by fostering a love for reading among students, empowering parents to take an active role in their child’s educational journey, and equipping teachers with innovative strategies to make learning fun and engaging.
Our comprehensive approach includes: A curated selection of FREE books tailored to each student’s reading level, ensuring they have access to quality literature that sparks their imagination. A celebration of our students’ progress with a fun-filled pizza party, complete with games, prizes, and recognition of their achievements. By joining forces with educators, parents, and the community businesses.
The Story
Readers Create Leaders was established with confidence in our ability to create a culture of literacy in young students. We are proud of our founder, DJ Fisher, whose personal experiences inspired this initiative. Our goal is clear: to stimulate, instigate, and boost the creativity and imagination though the improved reading skills of student. We continue to provide free access to books, educational films, nutritious food and drinks, and a relaxed and fun-filled atmosphere to enhance their reading experiences and, in the process, empower them to shape a brighter future.
Our Mission
Research has shown that access to books and regular reading can have positive impacts on children’s educational outcomes. Unfortunately, children from low-income families often face limited access to many resources, leading to a greater risk of educational deficits. With this in mind, our mission has created and implemented the #ReadingNeverStops campaign. This campaign aims to promote book accessibility and cultivate healthy reading habits among all students and parents included, with a particular focus on those from low-income backgrounds who are at a heightened risk of educational failure.
At the age of 12, DJ was a dedicated young pre-teen who spent countless hours at the local libraries, immersing himself in biographies and the world of sports and business magazines. One day, unfamiliar with the rules, he absentmindedly placed some of the books and magazines in his backpack and walked out of the area university library, unaware of the sensors on each book and the process of taking the books home to enjoy.
As the alarms blared, the startled DJ was confronted by the library staff and campus police, leading to his arrest and a trip to juvenile intake. Despite the terrifying experience, DJ’s passion for knowledge and learning never waned. Just over one decade later, he found himself featured in the very same magazine, Black Enterprise, that had caught his attention in that very library. Being recognized during their Black Men XCEL Summit as 2017 BE Modern Man.
Avoiding serious legal charges, His love for reading has brought him full circle, as he is now working in the industry that had first captivated him through. DJ’s journey serves as a powerful example of how youthful mistakes and setbacks can ultimately lead to personal and professional growth.
DID YOU KNOW
QUICK FACTS: In DJ’s hometown of Wichita, Kansas. Nearly 75 percent of students in Wichita Public Schools are from lower income households. The state estimates it cost an average of $3,838 per student. Although discipline and responsibility begins at home, it takes a village to raise a child and when we fail to do so, we are being forced to pay $25,583 per inmate and according to the Kansas Department of Corrections 43.6% have less than a 12th grade education and 15.5% are high school graduates.
MILLION BOOKS
STATES VISITED
PERCENT OF 4TH GRADERS
VIDEOS AND PHOTOS
