Horace Mann Employees Support Literacy at United Way Reading Day

March 9, 2026

Horace Mann employees proudly participated in the United Way of Metropolitan Dallas Reading Day 2026. Alongside more than 1,000 volunteers across North Texas, our team spent time in classrooms helping spark a love of reading in young learners.

Reading Day is an annual initiative for the Dallas United Way that connects community volunteers with local schools to help strengthen early literacy. Children in North Texas who are reading at grade level by third grade are five times more likely to be ready for college and careers, yet currently only about 50 % of third graders in the region read proficiently, underscoring the critical importance of early literacy efforts like Reading Day.

For volunteers, the day highlighted the impact educators make every day.

"It warmed my heart to have the opportunity to read with the children," said Mallory Smith. "I hope they enjoyed our reading, laughs and giggles. As a young child, I loved going to the library and feeling like I needed to read every book on the shelf. I hope the students felt some of that same excitement."

Volunteer Heather Maney reflected on the important role educators play each day. "Being in the classroom where these kids are constantly learning and growing really highlights the work teachers do every day to shape bright young minds. I'm grateful to be part of an organization that supports educators and the important work they do."

Additionally, the Horace Mann Educators Foundation supported Reading Day through grant funding, helping to provide more than 5,000 books and 2,500 literacy kits for participating schools and expanding the program’s impact.

Supporting educators and the students they inspire is at the heart of what we do, and initiatives like Reading Day bring that commitment to life in meaningful ways.