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State of Play’s TL;DR
- Hard Rock Casino Northern Indiana gives $45,000 to the Gary Literacy Coalition.
- The money supports the Pilot Community Reading Program.
Hard Rock Casino Northern Indiana has donated $45,000 to the Gary Literacy Coalition to support the nonprofit’s Pilot Community Reading Program in Gary, IN.
The funding is aimed at elementary and middle school students who are reading below grade level. The coalition said the money will help expand literacy intervention and family support resources. The donation will help serve 60 to 80 K-8 students through direct literacy intervention.
For Hard Rock, the announcement adds to the operator’s community-facing activity outside its core casino business. An oversized guitar-shaped check was presented to the Gary Literacy Coalition on July 22 at Hard Rock Casino.
Funding will support books, literacy kits, and small-group instruction
The Pilot Community Reading Program provides small-group instruction, access to high-quality books, literacy kits, instructional materials, and also family engagement activities designed to encourage reading beyond the classroom.
The coalition said Hard Rock’s donation will also fund about 1,200 books for students and their families. It will also fund take-home resources intended to support reading at home.
Hard Rock Casino Northern Indiana President Matt Schuffert said:
“Education opens doors to opportunity, and strong reading skills provide the foundation for lifelong success.”
He added that the casino was “proud to partner with the Gary Literacy Coalition to help more people discover the joy of reading while giving families the tools they need to support learning at home.”
The coalition said the new funding will allow it to broaden the program and also provide additional support for students.
Executive Director Lori Johnson Kuykendall said the donation “will make a meaningful difference in the lives of students and families throughout Gary.”
She said the support would help place more books in children’s hands, expand literacy programming, and strengthen family engagement to improve reading confidence, fluency, and comprehension.
Based on reporting by Rege Behe for CDC Gaming.
