United to Read raises awareness of the importance of early literacy and celebrates reading. Every first-grade classroom in Horry County will have a volunteer read to their class, meaning over 150 volunteers are needed for this much loved annual event!

For the 2026 school year, volunteers will be reading A Bad Case of the Stripes by David Shannon. We chose this story because of its powerful and age-appropriate message about being confident in who you are, celebrating individuality, and not allowing the opinions or pressures of others to determine who you become. As we continue encouraging a love of reading, we also want our students to hear a message that reminds them that it is okay to be themselves.

A read along of this year’s book can be found here: https://youtu.be/QqnChSV2mdM?si=yKo1zxp_OMnaAodp

For questions, please contact Director of Education Richard Williams at richard@unitedwayhorry.org or 843.347.1179.