DES MOINES, Iowa -- The kids at Martin Luther King, Jr. Elementary School got a gift fitting with their school's name Wednesday.
Midwestern alumni of the Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc., the same fraternity Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was a member of, donated a reading bench sculpted in MLK's likeness to the school Wednesday. That donation also included hundreds of books for the school's library.
The fraternity's Midwestern regional alumni group sponsors the school and says improving literacy rates directly impacts graduation rates. The group hopes its donation reminds kids to read every day.
"So we believe in you, and that is why we dedicate the bench that you see here, to remind you that every time you see that bench, that you are important," alumnus, Dr. Willis L. Lonzer, III said to students. "Reading is fundamental. And we want you to remember, always read!"
