Amarillo College Police kick-off Books and Badges program

AMARILLO, Texas (KFDA) - Amarillo College kicked off its new Books and Badges program with a visit to Hamlet Elementary.

The program, which is funded by United Way of Amarillo & Canyon, is aimed at improving literacy skills.

“If you don’t have communication and interaction with the young people at an early age, you know then maybe it never does come to fruition so they’re being very proactive taking their model and their presence into the schools,” Said Joe Wyatt, Community Coordinator for Amarillo College.

With the program, an officer reads to the class and gives a copy of the book with a handwritten note to every student.

“They can escape into their own world, their own dimension and create you know endless possibilities from reading, so what reading has done for me, I wanna do it for someone else. At least give them the tools that they need to start their own adventure,” says Officer Morice Jackson with Amarillo College.

Officer Jackson says they will continue making visits to the elementary and connecting with the kids.

“Like I said, these kids are going through so much. If it’s just the small things of I see you, you’re special, you’re unique, you can do it. Encourage, you can always, always, always encourage people to do better, to be better,” said Officer Jackson.

That’s what the program does: better the next generation.

“Let them know you can be a police officer, a firefighter, a doctor, a lawyer or a teacher or a principal, anything in life and it’s cool to read books,” said Officer Jackson.

If you would like for Amarillo College Police Officers to come read at your school, call 806-371-5163.

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