Blue Ridge Bank Proud to Sponsor Richmond County Elementary School for 2026 Virginia Reads One Book
02/25/2026
More than 27,000 Virginia students and their families from 63 Title 1 schools are reading the same book on the same schedule during the month of March thanks to more than $166,000 of financial support from Virginia’s banking industry. It’s all part of Virginia Reads One Book — a statewide family literacy program designed to strengthen the educational connection between home and school from Richmond-based Read to Them. Blue Ridge Bank is a proud sponsor of this program at Richmond County Elementary School, where students and staff will participate.
Virginia Reads One Book kicks off on March 2nd 2026. During this three-week program, elementary students across Virginia will be involved in school and community events both in-person and virtually. “The program not only enhances students’ language skills, but it shows them reading is fun in an atmosphere that strengthens family and community interactions,” says Read to Them Executive Director Christa Donohue. “With the support of Blue Ridge Bank, Richmond Elementary School receives a book for every student and complimentary staff copies, both family literacy and financial literacy activities, school assembly suggestions, teacher resources, and both family and community engagement tools. These resources turn a book into a community experience so everyone can enjoy and share the story.”
Each student will receive a copy of the same book, Charlotte’s Web by E.B. White. “Our statewide reading schedule will take about 15 minutes each night,” says Donohue, “putting the entire community literally on the same page. Their reading will be augmented with classroom activities, trivia contests, prizes and fun opportunities for family engagement.”
Cindy West stated, “We are thrilled to be able to sponsor Virginia Reads One Book this year, which builds on other financial literacy efforts that we have going in our community, including VBA Bank Day. We were drawn to this program by not only the financial literacy focus of the book, but also the idea of bringing families together.”