Meredith Alumnus Makes Community Impact with Summer Reading Program

In an effort to teach students reading strategies during the summer and give back to his community, Lloyd Askew, ’13, M.Ed., launched the Drop Everything and Read (D.E.A.R.) program in 2013.

The summer reading program gives students in kindergarten through fifth grade the opportunity to read over the summer and not lose the reading proficiency they gained during the school year. Starting the program was a way for Askew to give back to the youth in his community of Suffolk County, Va.

The Suffolk Herald featured Askew and the success of his D.E.A.R. program this summer.

Askew graduated from Meredith College with his Master of Education and a concentration in reading literacy. He currently works as a reading specialist and music teacher at Parkwood Elementary in Durham.