Help us give 20,000 books and celebrate 20 years of Cocky's Reading Express!

USC mascot Cocky reading to a classroom of children

December 2025 marks 20 years of Cocky's Reading Express! To celebrate this momentous occasion, we want to raise $100,000 to provide 20,000 new books to children across South Carolina. Cocky's Reading Express is the University of South Carolina’s literacy outreach initiative. Cocky and his team of Gamecock student volunteers are on a mission to inspire young readers across South Carolina to get passionate about reading.

Nearly two-thirds of low-income families do not own any books for their children. To address this critical need, CRE is increasing access to high-quality children’s materials and foster a lifelong love of reading — one Gamecock at a time.


Contact Margaret Cook Jackson if there is a specific school or library that you would like to sponsor! 
Cookmh@email.sc.edu | 803-777-2169 
Give to Cocky's Reading Express Fund

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  • $50: Put Books in Kids’ Hands- Give 10 new books to children in under-resourced schools to start their personal libraries
  • $250: Make Reading Magical -Fund a Cocky's Reading Express visit with Cocky, story time, and a book for each child to take home
  • $750: Connect Kids to Libraries - Support a public library event, introducing kids to library resources and giving them books to keep
  • $1250: Build a Little Free Library - Cover the cost to install a Little Free Library in a book desert, stocked with 400 books
  • $2500: Bring Cocky's Reading Express to a Midlands school - Sponsor a full literacy program in a Midlands community, including book giveaways
  • $4000: Statewide Literacy Impact - Expand Cocky's Reading Express reach to underserved communities in the Pee Dee, Lowcountry, or Upstate