Jacarrie Carr stands behind the bookshelf located inside Suds Your Duds Coin Laundry, 5250 N. Sherman Blvd. Children are able to read and take books home from the laundromat. (Photo by Chesnie Wardell)
By Chesnie Wardell
This story was originally published by Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service, where you can find other stories reporting on fifteen city neighborhoods in Milwaukee. Visit milwaukeenns.org.
Jacarrie Carr is typically known for giving away free shoes to children, but now he’s pouring his efforts into the reading development of Milwaukee youths by placing bookshelves inside North Side laundromats.
Carr, founder of Jacarrie Kicks for Kids, was washing clothes inside a Suds Your Duds Coin Laundry at 6050 N. 91st St. when he noticed an empty bookshelf not being used.
He saw the owner of the local laundry chain, Sean O’Byrne, and pitched the idea of filling the shelves with books and fidget items.
“When kids are in the laundromat with their parents and parents are washing clothes, instead of them just sitting there waiting on their parents, they can work on their reading literacy,” Carr said.
O’Byrne recalls Carr coming inside the laundromat to wash tons of shoes and was curious about Carr’s reasoning for it.
After learning about Jacarrie Kicks for Kids, a nonprofit providing refurbished shoes and academic support for low-income children in Milwaukee, O’Byrne wanted to help.
“Jacarrie has an energy and love that makes you want to be around it,” O’Byrne said.
O’Byrne’s niece, Bryn Gonzales, built the bookshelves for two Suds Your Duds locations, the 91st Street site and one at 5250 N. Sherman Blvd. O’Byrne made space adjustments and Carr spent time receiving book donations from schools and community members.
“I’m trying to figure out ways to help these kids with resources and make use of their time during moments like these, so it’ll reflect that they’ve been reading over the summer,” Carr said.
According to a 2024 report by the National Assessment of Educational Progress called “The Nation’s Report Card,” eighth-grade Milwaukee students are averaging a 239 reading score, lower than the average score of 252 for students in larger cities.
Combining reading and basketball
Before the books inside the laundromat, there was Jacarrie Kicks for Kids Academic All Stars, an initiative launched by Carr and NBA player Jordan Poole featuring basketball camps, scholarship giveaways and a book club where children would enjoy a meal, read a book and then play basketball.
“We’ve always pushed the book narrative of helping kids learn how to read better because in Milwaukee so many kids struggle with reading,” Carr said.
Carr and Poole would have book discussions with the children so everyone could share ideas and discuss how they felt.
“To push them to read more, we gave out incentives like basketball tickets to a game, a Jordan Poole jersey and things like that,” Carr said.
A ‘good’ problem
Throughout the book shelving process, Carr and O’Bryne encountered a “good” problem.
When Carr went back to the laundromats at each location, half the books were gone. To restock effectively, he added additional books on extra shelves.
“The good thing is when the kids are reading, they take those books home,” Carr said.
Parent involvement in reading
Parents have returned to the laundromats to tell O’Byrne how they started a new nighttime routine for their child called “Reading Hour.”
A report from the City of Milwaukee Office of Early Childhood Initiatives showed that 49% of parents in Milwaukee read to their children daily.
“It’s a beautiful thing to see some of these children starting to enjoy reading and spending time with family,” O’Byrne said.
Carr has hopes of hosting a reading convention or smaller book clubs for parents to become more invested in what their child is doing.
Carr wants children to know that there’s more to learn outside of electronics and that the answers are within the books.
“You don’t want to be super smart and successful but don’t know how to read because people can play on you that way,” Carr said.