Every Child Deserves
A Book of Their Own.
A grassroots literacy initiative that started with teachers, a van, and donated books — and grew into an award-winning bookmobile bringing reading, learning, and popsicles to Jenks neighborhoods every summer.
From a Van to a Bookmobile
In the summer of 2019, a group of Jenks Public Schools educators noticed something: some students in the district had little or no access to books during the summer months. Their solution was simple and immediate — they loaded donated books into a van and drove to nearby apartment complexes, offering families a free selection to take home.
Families lined up. Kids lit up. And the educators knew they were onto something important.
The Jenks Public Schools Foundation heard their call. At its February 2020 annual Dinner and Auction, the Foundation launched a funding initiative that raised enough to transform a retired Jenks school bus into the Trojans Read the Way Bookmobile — air conditioned, colorfully wrapped, equipped with bookshelves, comfortable seating, and a permanent canopy. Jenks carpenters built the interior. A Jenks business designed the wrap. The whole community built it together.
Every book a child chooses is theirs to keep — permanently. The goal is not a library visit. It is a home library, built one summer at a time.
"It's just fun helping the kids choose books, see their eyes light up when we have something they love — a Dog Man, a Wimpy Kid, a Peppa Pig, or a graphic novel they've never had the chance to look at."
— Mary Arlan, Jenks Public Schools teacher and volunteer
Literacy and Radio — Both Give Kids a Voice
JenksFM and the Trojans Read the Way Book Mobile share the same conviction: every child in Jenks deserves access. Access to stories. Access to information. Access to the world. For the Book Mobile, that means a book of their own. For JenksFM, it means a broadcast that covers their school, their teams, their community, and their future.
The Student Spotlight program on JenksFM — a permanent scholarship archive of recorded senior interviews — is literacy in audio form. We are proud to stand alongside the Trojans Read the Way Book Mobile in the shared work of building a community of readers and listeners.
All JenksFM UnderwritersSupport Trojans Read the Way
Donate books, give online through the Jenks Public Schools Foundation, or volunteer to ride along this summer. Every book changes a life.
Trojans Read the Way is a program of the Jenks Public Schools Foundation, a registered 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. Donations may be tax-deductible.