Reduce the Literacy Gap through Dance - USA

With the support of GlobalGiving and Colgate’s generous grants, this past year, Ballet and Books has seen exponential growth and some big wins. With10 chapters nationwide, we’ve been able to help over 800 children find a love of reading through dance and engage almost just as many high school/college student mentors in developing professionally and personally by giving back to their communities. 

Spring and Summer of 2024 has been an extra exciting time for Ballet and Books. 

Most of our chapters held year-end recitals where their 3-to-9-year old mentees performed on university stages. For many of our children, it was their first time performing at an event of that scale. Their friends and families were given free admission to come watch and support their young students. Each chapter expressed how impactful that experience was for their mentees.

We continue to grow with our NYC Chapter expanding this fall with the addition of New York University as a new partner! Each new chapter and chapter expansion is a new community of students who will finally get access to a free literacy and dance program. This brings us one step closer to our goal of having a Ballet and Books chapter at every major university, reaching as many children across the nation as possible.

We are also kicking off our third year of chapter fundraising this semester. Each chapter will host a fundraiser centered around their served community this spring. To support chapter fundraising, please visit this link!

Looking back on these past few years, we have come such a long way with the support of Colgate and GlobalGiving. As we look ahead to the future, we’re so excited to continue growing our impact and closing the literacy gap one community at a time. You have not only helped support us up until this point, but have also given us the resources to begin supporting ourselves moving forward. Ballet and Books would not be possible without you!