Madisyn Ransey and Katelyn Gardner receive 2024 Kentucky Education Association’s Read Across America grant

MURRAY, Ky. – Madisyn Ransey, a recent Murray State University elementary education graduate from Murray, Kentucky, and Katelyn Gardner, a junior middle school education major from Erlanger, Kentucky, are the recipients of the 2024 Kentucky Education Association’s (KEA) Read Across America grant.

The National Education Association created Read Across America in 1997 as a day to inspire children to read. Each year, the KEA awards competitive grants of up to $500 to local and governance districts to support Read Across America events.

Ransey first learned about the grant through the KEA and was motivated to apply after organizing a Read Across America event with the Calloway County Public Library.

“We partnered with the library for a Mo Willems night and a STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics) night for local children and families,” Ransey said. “Both events were huge successes, bringing smiles to many kids' faces. This inspired me to apply for the grant this year and plan another event.”

Gardner, who serves as president of the University’s KEA-AE chapter, worked alongside Ransey to develop the grant proposal.

“We started working on the grant at the beginning of the semester,” Gardner said. “Madisyn has done most of the planning, in collaboration with our advisor, Holly Bloodworth, and the rest of our executive team—Matthew Callahan, Judah Tyner and Addie Mosier.”

Ransey, who served as the primary grant writer, came up with several ideas before the team decided on “Reading Under the Stars.”

“For ‘Reading Under the Stars,’ we’ll host a nighttime event at Calloway County Park this spring,” Ransey said. “We’ll have tents and flashlights where children can read and explore new books. Kids can also dress as their favorite book characters, and there will be a campfire read-aloud session led by teachers and community members.”

The event is aimed at elementary-aged children in the Calloway County community, with the goal of fostering a love for reading.

“Literacy is extremely important to us, so we want as many kids as possible to get involved,” Gardner said. “We hope this event will promote literacy and show kids that reading can be fun, too!”

Gardner and Ransey will collaborate with the Calloway County Public Library to bring the event to life. Sandy Linn, the library’s community relations coordinator, will assist the students in planning the event.

The grant money will be used to purchase supplies and materials necessary to ensure the event's success. Details of this event aren’t yet available, but Gardner and Ramsey said the event will be held sometime in spring 2025. 

For more information about Murray State University’s KEA chapter, visit murraystate.edu/kea.