7-Eleven store owners Sushil Prakash and Josephine Kiran have come up with a unique idea to inspire kids to read, and to try to keep those same kids away from a life of crime. This particular 7-Eleven store is located in a particularly crime-ridden area of Fresno, California. So, the owners opened a “mini-library” inside their store. Books for their library were donated by them, their son, and local schools. They currently have 200 books in their collection. Children can check out a book, they are required to write a short book report and then they will be rewarded with a free Slurpee.
In an interview with the local ABC news station, Prakash said: “I have had so many good stories of kids that were going the wrong way and now they try to spend time at home reading. It’s a good feeling.”
With the local success of their small library, and the positive media attention it has generated, 7-Eleven corporate executives are considering using the idea at other stored in their nationwide chain.
