More Than 1,600 Attend 3rd Annual San Angelo READS! & United We Read Back-to-School Pop-Up 

More than 1,600 students, parents and community members filled the First Financial Pavilion on July 31 as nearly 90 community partners came together for the 3rd Annual San Angelo READS! & United We Read Back-to-School Pop-Up — a community-wide celebration of literacy and one shared mission: helping local students begin the school year prepared, confident and ready to learn. 

Thanks to the generosity of local businesses, organizations and volunteers, families received free books, school supplies, backpacks, health services, educational resources and valuable community information — all at no cost. With support from United We Read, Atmos Energy and a grant from the Texas Trust Gives Foundation, more than 2,100 backpacks were available for students. United Way of the Concho Valley also donated 1,000 hot dogs, providing free meals for families throughout the event. 

"The San Angelo READS! & United We Read Back-to-School Pop-Up is about so much more than a back-to-school event," said Sun Cha, San Angelo ISD Director of Community Relations. "It's a powerful reminder of what is possible when an entire community rallies around its children. It's about showing every child and every family that this community believes in their future. When schools, businesses, nonprofits and volunteers come together like this, we remove barriers, create opportunities and remind students they have an entire community cheering them on." 

Families spent the afternoon exploring dozens of booths filled with books, games, activities, giveaways and valuable community resources. Children enjoyed meeting special guests and mascots, including ASU's Roscoe and Bella, Clifford the Big Red Dog, Spider-Man Noir, the Real West Texas Ghostbusters and their ECTO vehicles, H-E-Buddy, Whataguy and many more. From toddlers to teenagers, there was something for every member of the family, making the Pop-Up a true community celebration. Families also enjoyed literacy activities, vehicle exploration and countless opportunities to connect with organizations serving the San Angelo community.  

Community leaders also joined the celebration, visiting with families, thanking community partners and helping distribute free books. Among those attending were City of San Angelo Mayor Tom Thompson, Tom Green County Judge Lane Carter and Lori Wilson, representing State Representative Drew Darby. 

Beyond the fun and festivities, the Pop-Up connected families with resources that can make a lasting difference, providing many with everything they needed to help their children walk into the first day of school feeling prepared, supported and excited to learn. Students left with backpacks, school supplies and books, while families received assistance with school registration, immunizations and information about services available throughout the community. Together, schools, businesses, nonprofits, volunteers and community leaders helped ensure thousands of local students begin the new school year with the tools, confidence and encouragement they need to succeed.

"Literacy opens doors, but it takes an entire community to help children walk through them," said Ms. Cha. "Every backpack, every book, every volunteer and every smile represented an investment in a child's future. That's what makes this event so special – it reminds families they are surrounded by a community that wants to see every student succeed." 

San Angelo ISD extends its heartfelt appreciation to every sponsor, volunteer and community partner whose generosity, time and commitment made the event possible. Their generosity continues to strengthen our schools, support our families, inspire a lifelong love of reading, and invest in the future of our community.  

📸 Relive the excitement! View the complete San Angelo READS! & United We Read Back-to-School Pop-Up photo gallery by clicking here. 

The following organizations and SAISD departments helped make this year's event possible:

Thank You to Our Community Partners:
1st Community Federal Credit Union
A&B Distributing Company
Adult Literacy Council of the Concho Valley 
AEP
Alcohol & Drug Awareness Council for the Concho Valley
American Legion Auxiliary Unit 572
American Truck & RV
Angelo State University David L. Hirschfeld Department of Engineering
Angelo State University College of Education
Angelo State University ASU HSI-STEM K-12 (College of Science & Engineering)
Angelo State University Mascots – Bella and Roscoe
Atmos Energy
Better Business Bureau
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Texas
Boy Scouts of America, Texas Southwest Council
Boys & Girls Club of the Concho Valley
Carpet Tech
City of San Angelo – Mayor Tom Thompson
Club Pilates San Angelo
Collide Church
Concho Educators Federal Credit Union
Concho Valley Community Action Agency
Concho Valley Regional Food Bank
Concho Valley Retired Teachers & Associates 
Crunch Fitness
Ener-Tel
Eyemart Express
First Financial Bank
Fort Concho National Historic Landmark
Foster Communications 94.7 KIXY FM 
FOX West Texas
GAFB 17th Training Wing Child & Youth Education Services
GAFB STARBASE
Gandy Ink
Girl Scouts of Central Texas
H-E-B
High Sky Children's Ranch – STAY Together Program
Home Depot
House of Faith
Howard College San Angelo
Jason's Deli
Kappa Delta Pi / ASU College of Education
Keep San Angelo Beautiful
Kona Ice of San Angelo
La Esperanza Clinics
Luminosity 360
MHMR of the Conch Valley
Nyxxy Cosplay 
Prosperity Bank
Quantum Forge Robotics
San Angelo Family Magazine
San Angelo Fire Department
San Angelo NAACP
San Angelo Police Department
San Angelo Schools Foundation
San Angelo Soccer Association
San Angelo Stock Show & Rodeo Association
San Angelo Variants
Scholastic, Inc.
Shannon Medical Center 
Sonora Bank
Southgate Church of Christ
Southwest Outdoor
TCHATT – Texas Tech University Health Services Dept. of Psychiatry
TCP Software 
Texas Bank
Texas Department of Health & Human Services – STAR Medicaid Managed Care Program
Texas House of Representatives – Drew Darby’s Office
Texas Parks & Wildlife Department Game Wardens
Texas Roadhouse
Texas Trust Credit Union
Texas Trust Gives Foundation
The Bank & Trust
The DRIPBaR San Angelo
The Real West Texas Ghostbusters
Tom Green County Judge Lane Carter 
Tom Green County Library System
Ultimate Air Trampoline Park
United Way of the Concho Valley
VS Masked Cosplay
West Texas Counseling & Guidance
West Texas Rehab
West Texas Sonics
Whataburger
WHIT Program
WIC 
YMCA 

Participating SAISD Departments & Student Organizations: 
Central High School Cheerleaders
Lake View High School Cheerleaders
Assessment
Counseling
Bilingual Education
Business Support Services
Child Nutrition
Communications
Federal & State Programs
Health Services
Student & Data Services
Transportation

Please visit the San Angelo READS! website at www.saisd.org/read and follow us on Facebook and Instagram to stay up-to-date on San Angelo READS! We encourage you and your family to share how you celebrate reading through the hashtags, #SanAngeloREADS and #SAISDReads. Keep Reading, San Angelo!

About San Angelo READS!

The San Angelo READS! community-wide literacy initiative was founded by the District in 2020 to promote and encourage reading and the SAISD future-ready learner profile attributes among SAISD students and the greater San Angelo community. The goal of the literacy initiative is to increase awareness of the importance of literacy and to inspire a love for reading. This exciting initiative is driven by statistics which show how vitally important literacy is in providing all students with the opportunities to succeed at a young age. Children and teenagers who read for pleasure on a daily or weekly basis score better on reading and writing tests than infrequent or non-readers.

SAISD kicked off San Angelo READS! on December 9, 2020 with the inaugural San Angelo Reads! Day, a day when literacy was celebrated at every SAISD elementary campus with literacy fun like read-ins, unveiling book vending machines and a gift of a book to all SAISD third-graders compliments of the San Angelo Area Foundation. Inside and outside our classrooms, SAISD is committed to building literacy skills which create students who are prepared for future success, thus building a better tomorrow for our students and community.