About Activating Reading Communities Organization
Our Mission
Activate Dallas-Fort Worth's reading culture.
ARCO's mission is to activate Dallas-Fort Worth’s reading culture. We help communities cultivate a vibrant, inclusive reading culture and work to effectively reverse book deserts in the DFW area. Our initiatives are grounded in the belief that access alone is not enough—communities must also experience ownership, representation, and belonging within literary spaces.
VISION
Our vision is to cultivate a vibrant, inclusive reading culture in Dallas where every individual has access to books and opportunities for literary engagement.
- Expand Book Access and Ownership We create book access and ownership by removing barriers to quality books, through book gifting events and community bookmobile pop-ups.
- Inspire Positive Reading Experiences We create joyful, social, and meaningful reading experiences that spark curiosity, imagination, and a love of lifelong learning.
- Activate Literary Third Spaces We cultivate third spaces where community members can engage with books, authors, and others in an exchange of ideas.
We help people reconnect, reimagine, and rebuild their relationship with reading.
Our Why
"Book access and ownership have a direct link to reading culture, reading achievement, and social cohesion. Addressing book access and ownership within our community is an equity issue that we are ready to tackle head-on."
-Claudia Vega, Executive Director & Founder
Empower ARCO
Join us in empowering individuals and communities through your generous donation to ARCO. Together, we can uplift DFW’s reading culture!