On June 20 — the longest day of the year — more than 1,200 Central Iowans will volunteer at sites across the community for Literacy Solstice, a signature event of United Way’s Read to Succeed campaign. Volunteers at 24 locations in Polk, Dallas and Warren counties will make 4,000 literacy kits to help children become successful readers. Each kit will consist of a children’s book and a custom-crafted activity for one-on-one interaction between an adult volunteer and a child. Currently, one child in four in Central Iowa does not read proficiently by the end of third grade. Read to Succeed has set a goal of 90 percent of children reading proficiently by the end of third grade by 2020. For more information on Read to Succeed and to volunteer, click here.