DeKALB – A fundraising dinner aims to help local children from low-income families break the cycle of poverty – with books.

According to the National Institute for Literacy, 43 percent of American adults with poor literacy skills live in poverty. A 2011 study by the Annie E. Casey Foundation found children who do not read at grade level by the third grade are four times more likely to drop out of school than proficient readers. Poor readers who live in poverty are six times less likely to graduate.

The Bookcase for Every Child project aims to break that cycle by encouraging early literacy. Many low-income families have no books of their own for parents to help their children develop reading skills and a love for reading.