ALLO is proud to support National Get Caught Reading month this May. This reading program got it’s start in 1999 with the help of Congresswoman Pat Schroeder and the Association of American Publishers as a way to encourage literacy and remind children and adults alike about the joys of reading.

As a company that prides itself on advanced digital technology, we’re excited by the reading possibilities our fiber optic connection can provide to our customers. Whether you’re learning about Haiku poetry at ReadWriteThink, browsing the International Children’s Library, or accessing reading tips and free ebooks at the Oxford Owl, only ALLO can connect you to these online reading resources with the most reliable network and fastest speeds (1 GIGABYTE!) in Nebraska.  But even leaders in the industry can appreciate the value of turning off your devices and settling down with a good book. Which is why we hope you’ll join us in our efforts to put books in the hands of the less fortunate this month. Please donate new and gently used books at any ALLO store location and be entered for a chance to win an Amazon Kindle.

Because no matter how you get your literary fix, reading has been scientifically proven to improve your life! Check out the facts below and help ALLO spread literacy and reading enjoyment in our communities.

via Unbelievable Facts:

1. Reading can help prevent Alzheimer’s: A recent study found that people who read are two and a half times less likely to be diagnosed with Alzheimer’s Syndrome later on in life. Although this does not mean that reading will prevent the disease, it proves a slight relationship between reading and prevention.

2. Being a reader means you’re more likely to learn something new every day: An education professor, Anne E. Cunningham wrote a research paper and discovered that reading frequently does actually make you smarter. Not only does it help you retain knowledge, but it helps you to remember that knowledge later on in life. Whether or not you realize it, reading stockpiles your brain with new information, and you never know when it may come in handy.

3. People who read are more likely to vote, exercise, and be more cultural: A study by the National Endowment for the arts concluded that reading makes you more engaged throughout life, taking advantage of any activities that may spring up during your life.

4. Reading can be therapeutic: According to Cristel Russell, a behavioral researcher, reading can help with any stress or turmoil occurring in your life. If you’re going through a break-up, or simply just need to relax, try a new book.

5. Reading enhances your memory: Every time you read something new, your brain ‘makes room’ to fit it in. With these new spaces, you can take advantage of any new information that may arise.

6. Reading actually does make you seem more attractive: A study found that reading makes you seem more intelligent, which is looked upon favorably by women. So, the more you read, the more appealing you will become!

7. Reading helps to boost your analytical thinking: Reading helps you to recognize various patterns that occur in writing. If you are looking for a law or medicine career, this is important!

8. Reading expands your vocabulary, so you’ll sound like a genius: The more you read, the more words you will come across. The more often you read these words, the more likely you are to understand them, and use them in your own writing and speaking.

9. Fiction books increase your ability to empathize with others: A study done by the University of Buffalo has concluded that access to possible realities and fictional story lines opens you up to new emotions and feelings. It also helps you to empathize with people, by understanding different cultures.

10. People who read are more likely to get ahead when it comes to their careers, and life in general: Honor Wilson-Fletcher said that reading “opens doors and makes life easier, so at the end of the day it doesn’t matter what you read. What’s more, it really can make you feel good!”