As a teacher at Chesney Elementary, Kara Cowdrick saw a need that stretched beyond the school year. It took some help from her mom’s van, but they eventually met the need.

“Every year, I noticed that kids weren’t excited about going home for the summer,” Cowdrick said. “When we dug a little deeper, they were bored. We see this every year, and we’re not doing anything about it?”

That inspired Cowdrick to apply for a grant two years ago from Atlanta Families for Excellence in Education. She won the grant for $7,500, with $3,500 going toward a bookmobile, to better serve students throughout the summer with reading books. This summer, a local car dealership has come along and offered help, and beginning May 31 and occuring on Wednesdays throughout the summer, students will have access to a host of books to encourage reading.