63% of Thomas County students read at or above grade level, leaving 37% behind. Nonprofits like Literacy for Thomas County are stepping in to distribute free books and host reading events. Watch how former NFL player Malcolm Mitchell inspires students to embrace reading through the "Read with Malcolm" initiative.BROADCAST SCRIPTA community-wide effort is underway in Thomasville to tackle the literacy crisis.With students falling behind due to frequent absences and a lack of reading support at home, nonprofits are stepping in to help."Literacy is just across the board issue, and every Grade is impacted by that," Said Hugans.I'm breaking down what they're doing and why it's so important.Literacy is one of the biggest challenges in Thomas County, with 37% of students reading below grade level.Melvin Hugans, President of Literacy for Thomas County, says many students fall behind during critical reading milestones in 3rd, 5th, and 8th grades. But efforts like the Read with Malcolm event are giving students an extra push. Hosted by former NFL player and children's book author Malcolm Mitchell"We're hoping events like Read with Malcolm are encouraging students to be better readers and also be excited about reading," said Hugans.For some students, like 10-year-old Alex Lucero, reading is a daily challenge."Because some of the words are confusing," said Lucero.Alex tells me that not having books at home makes it even tougher for him to practice reading.Hugans says the nonprofit has already given away over 2,000 books to kids across Thomas County. But it's not just about handing out booksit's about building a culture of literacy in the home, something Hugans says is a growing challenge."parents sitting down with their kids consistently reading aloud, that's probably our greatest challenge that we have in our society today, it's just not as common as it has been in the past," said Hugans.Hugans says Literacy for Thomas County needs more volunteers for future events.You can reach them through their website.