I was fortunate enough to have attended a charity event in a city that (unfortunately) needs a lot of help: Jackson, Mississippi. I live in Brandon, about 30 minutes away from the heart of Jackson, and Jackson is close to my heart. This event was devoted to donating 20,000 books to this city. Everyone who showed up walked away with books to entertain all kinds of reading levels.

Now, being a young person that grew up in a good community, I never saw literacy as a very "important" charity a few years back. What about cancer? Or Alzheimer's? Or third world countries? Giving books to children is adorable, but I'm not saving anyone's life.

No one takes the time to address the scary facts that go along with growing up illiterate, according to DoSomething.org.

One in four children in America grow up without learning how to read.

Two-thirds of students who cannot read proficiently by the end of fourth grade will end up in jail or on welfare, which means 70 percent of inmates cannot read above a fourth grade level.

Students that cannot read proficiently by the end of third grade are more likely to drop out of high school.

Over half of 4th graders read for pleasure, while less than 20 percent of eight graders only read that they are required at school.

There is a direct correlation between the literacy rates of women and their likeliness to have children our of wedlock before the age of 20.

So, who is doing the saving?

Teachers. Librarians. Involved parents. These people are the ones that are shaping our future. These people are devoting their time and money to growing the minds of our future leaders, parents, business owners, engineers, and inventors. These people deserve all the attention in the world.

We can show up at all the events, take all the pictures, hand out all the books, but improving literacy rates isn't going to happen by just giving someone a book. There is someone out there sitting with a child after class hours, not being paid, sounding out every letter. Sentence by sentence, these little people are starting to grasp the world around them, and we have those teachers to thank.

So no, I may not have cured cancer, built a house, or clothed the needy, but I had a helping hand in a little known epidemic. I am grateful for the opportunity to meet some of the most inspiring educators I have ever known.