Many in Louisiana know that the Lieutenant Governor oversees tourism, but his office also oversees all cultural aspects of the Bayou State, including the arts, festivals, cuisine, and for our purposes here, our state libraries.
Not surprisingly, Lt. Governor Nungesser supports the goals of ReadingWithKids.org, and he generously offered this letter of support.
The .pdf is also attached, below.
Billy Nungesser
Lieutenant Governor
State of Louisiana
P.O. Box 44243
Baton Rouge, Louisiana 70804-4243
(225) 342-7009
April 21, 2025
To Whom It May Concern:
When we read to our children from birth—or even better, from pregnancy—it makes them smarter, more confident, and more successful. Children who have been read to will do better in school, in their careers, and in their personal lives. They are also much less likely to become involved in drugs, crime, and teen pregnancy. And they are less likely to litter.
Louisiana citizens have created ReadingWithKids.org to foster this simple, healthy, and cost-free activity between parents and children. This project prepares children for kindergarten, and as they progress in their studies, they will improve our schools, our colleges, and our universities. They are also more likely to become professionals, and to serve as our innovators and entrepreneurs, moving Louisiana forward as they strengthen our workforce, our industries, and our economy.
The benefits do not stop there. Readers are also better neighbors: they are more likely to volunteer in their communities, with nonprofits, and to become involved in our churches. They are also more likely to support and enjoy Louisiana’s rich culture of festivals, cuisine, arts, theatre, and our beautiful outdoor surroundings. All of these benefits create a climate that fosters and attracts industry, technology, and tourism.
My office oversees culture, tourism, and libraries, and ReadingWithKids.org boosts all three. I am encouraging all of Louisiana’s nonprofits, civic organizations, churches, governmental offices, and businesses, to encourage parents to read with their children; but also to promote reading for everyone, so that we might all serve as role models for our children, and create a strong environment of work, recreation, and general prosperity.
To all of our organizations, and to all of our citizens, I encourage you to work with ReadingWithKids.org to add minor expansions and extensions of the services and products you already provide to support this program in small, but powerful ways. Read to your kids. Read for pleasure. Read in public, and be a role model.
If I can be of assistance to you in any way, please don’t hesitate to call.
Sincerely,
(signed)
Billy Nungesser
Lieutenant Governor