“All I’ve done is give you a book. You have to have the courage to learn what is inside it,” Miss Riley, character from Homer Hickam’s book Rocket Boys said.

It all starts with one book – a book that can connect a community and unite it in hopes of individuals becoming avid readers. It all starts with exposing the entire community to an author’s experiences, thereby weaving our stories within the context of another person’s story. And, it all starts with the pursuit of education, learning and connecting the business and education communities.

It all starts with One Book, One Waco – unity in the community!

One Book, One Waco is a communitywide reading program that promotes reading and thoughtful discussion through activities and events with community participation. This is a positive program where our community is uniting around reading during the Fall, Spring and Summer quarters, and it is a program where lives are being changed and challenged.

One Book, One Waco is not just a Chamber effort, but it a community effort – a grassroots effort to accomplish the goal of making Wacoans readers. So, what have we done as a community through this program?

As a community, we have brought 6 nationally recognized authors to Waco and engaged a great number of local school districts and systems. We provided Baylor and MCC student athletes to read to local elementary school children and even business leaders took the challenge too! We presented a countless number of books for students from third grade to college level, and we gathered the community in homes, churches, businesses, nursing homes, schools, university, and colleges in open dialogue with book discussions.

As a community, we were awarded a National Endowment for the Arts great for our efforts of reading, and we are seen as a role model organization for communities who inspire individuals to read – Fort Worth to Oklahoma City. And as a community, we have encouraged students read through spelling bees, contests, vocabulary exercises, college visits, and through author visits.

I’ve seen students’ confidence greatly increase; I’ve seen students receive books with open arms; I’ve seen the positives of a large gathering of people and I’ve seen a community rise above it all to link education and the business communities.

But, what I will tell you is this: everyone is doing their part to make a difference in education and reading; however, we still have “a ways to go.”

One Book, One Waco creates an engaging forum for thoughtful discussion and unity – something we can rally around during uncertain times and a cynical world. In addition, our program helps our community pursue education, unity, reading and learning.

My mother gave me books when I was young, and they shaped my thinking – from the mysteries of The Boxcar Children and The Hardy Boys to the ethical foundations of The Holy Bible. And so, I’m stealing a page from my mother and Miss Riley – I’m giving you a books.

Open it up and discover the wonders of reading.