News List
City of Atlanta Announces Mayor’s Summer Reading Program
Post Date:06/08/2016 3:30 PM
Mayor’s Office of Communications
55 Trinity Avenue, Suite 2500 • Atlanta, Georgia 30303
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Anne Torres, Director |
Jewanna Gaither, Press Information Officer |
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: June 8, 2016
News Release
City of Atlanta Announces Mayor’s Summer Reading Program
ATLANTA – The City of Atlanta announced today the launch of the fourth annual Mayor’s Summer Reading Club (MSRC), a citywide effort to encourage young people to read throughout the summer. Led by the Georgia Early Education Alliance for Ready Students (GEEARS), MSRC is a collaboration between the City of Atlanta, PNC Bank, United Way of Greater Atlanta and other organizations which aim to promote literacy and vocabulary enrichment for children and their families in the City of Atlanta.
The start of this year’s program was marked by a kick-off celebration held June 4, 2016, hosted by the Children’s Museum of Atlanta. The event featured story time with First Lady of Atlanta and GEEARS board member Sarah-Elizabeth Reed.“Literacy is one of the best predictors of a child’s future success. Were it not for my family's commitment to reading, I would not be the 59th Mayor of the City of Atlanta," said Mayor Kasim Reed. "Through the Mayor's Summer Reading Club, my Administration is working to help the next generation of Atlanta's leaders reach their highest goals."
Throughout the summer, partner organizations will host book club events where children will enjoy arts and crafts, drama exercises and other hands-on activities designed to make the language in the stories more meaningful to children, as well as receive a free book. The Club focuses on children from infancy to age eight.“GEEARS, Mayor Reed, and our partners are united in our commitment to ensure that young children and their families have access to language-rich and engaging summer experiences,” said Mindy Binderman, Executive Director of GEEARS. “We know that the Mayor’s Summer Reading Club makes an impact. This summer, through our combined efforts, we will host more than 100 summer reading events and give books to 15,000 children."
The 2016 book selections are:
- “10 Little Rubber Ducks” by Eric Carle (Ages 0 to 2)
- "Amari's Blue Ribbon” by Rollins Center for Language & Literacy at the Atlanta Speech School (Ages 3 to 5)
- “Mrs. Katz and Tush” by Patricia Pollaco (Ages 6 to 8)
- “A Bucket of Blessings” by Kabir Sehgal and Surishtha Sehgal
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For more information about the City of Atlanta, please visit http://www.atlantaga.gov or watch City Channel 26. Follow the City of Atlanta on Facebook and Twitter @CityofAtlanta. Follow Mayor Reed on Facebook and Twitter @Kasim Reed