TOPEKA (KSNT) – Emporia State University had a reason to celebrate Friday, after receiving the largest gift in school history.

The University will receive $4 million from the Kansas Masonic Foundation, money that will benefit more than 50,000 Kansas kids.

“When we look nationally at the data, there’s a huge percentage of students who do not read at grade level,” said Allison Garrett, President of Emporia State University.

That’s exactly why Emporia State University and the Kansas Masons have teamed up, to support literacy in schools across the state.

“When we look at literacy we know that students who are not reading at grade level, at the third or the fourth grade are more likely to be unable to complete high school. They’re more likely to be incarcerated, less likely to vote and have a life-long impact on those student’s learning potential,” said Garrett.

“We’re at a point in time, to where, you know throughout the state, funding issues are always a concern and as you kind of look at what could be, we set the bar high,” said Shane Shivley, President and CEO of the Emporia State University Foundation.

Together the organizations will establish a literacy center on the ESU campus, and programs at ten different schools around the state. Those programs will help improve student’s reading, writing, speaking and listening skills, but it doesn’t stop there.

“We have 10 schools, and then we’ll have 10 more schools and then we’ll have ten more schools every three years in perpetuity,” said Dr. Ken Weaver, Dean of the Emporia State Teacher’s College.

Every school they partner with will get trained consultants, books materials, and a community literacy program, plus a long term plan to keep that work alive.

“Our ultimate goal is to create a culture of literacy for all citizens, for all people in Kansas,” said Weaver.

Thanks to the gift from the Kansas Masons, that legacy starts now.

Emporia State hopes to have the literacy program up and running at ten schools by the start of next summer.

There will be one school in each of the Kansas Masonic regions.