MIDLAND, Texas (KMID/KPEJ) – The Carson Scholars Fund announced on Friday that five Ben Carson Reading Rooms will be opening across Midland ISD on Monday, October 23rd.

These rooms will be located at Burnet Elementary School, DeZavala Elementary, Emerson Elementary, Santa Rita Elementary, and Scharbauer Elementary.

Founded by retired world-renowned pediatric neurosurgeon and New York Times bestselling authors Dr. Ben Carson and his wife Candy, the Ben Carson Reading Project is an initiative of the Carson Scholars Fund which aims to create a literacy-enriched environment for children to become proficient and enthusiastic readers, according to a release by the Fund.

“As a young child, I was disinclined to open a book,” said Dr. Ben Carson. “My mother, who only had a third-grade education, was determined to remedy the situation. She made my brother and me check out and read two books from the Detroit Public Library per week and submit written book reports. Although I did not initially embrace her ideology, I soon discovered the joy and information found between the pages of a book. Candy and I have made it our lifelong mission to instill the importance of reading.”

In 2022, there were only two reading rooms at Henderson and Rusk Elementary Schools. Now, there will be seven Ben Carson Reading Rooms serving students across MISD.

“The reading rooms, which are a generous gift to the community from the Stalling family, will provide an opportunity for students to develop their reading skills and to foster a lifelong learning mindset,” said Candy Carson.

Burnet Elementary School will be hosting the district’s grand opening ceremony on Monday, October 23^rd at 9:30am.

In total, 272 reading rooms have been established across the country, with 16 reading rooms serving students in Texas. You can learn more about the Carson Scholars Fund on their website.