Families across Erie County are invited to McKinley Park on July 8, for the annual Read with Rotary event, a community literacy celebration designed to encourage children to develop a lifelong love of reading.
The free event will take place from 12 p.m. to 3 p.m. and is being held in conjunction with Mayor Daria Devlin’s Summer of Reading Campaign. Mayor Devlin is scheduled to attend the event from 12:15 p.m. to 12:45 p.m.
Elementary-age students will have the opportunity to participate in interactive educational activities hosted by a variety of community organizations from throughout Erie County.
Participating groups include the Erie Zoo, Erie Philharmonic, Erie Fire Department, Girl Scouts, LECOM Project Launch, Sarah A. Reed Children’s Center, Police Athletic League, The BlueCoats, PennWest University, Safe Journey, Erie Humane Society, Erie County Library, Hope on Horseback and several additional community partners.
Children attending the event will receive a special “passport book” that can be personalized throughout the day as they collect stamps from participating organizations. The passport books were designed and produced by students at Erie County Technical School.
In addition, every elementary-age participant will receive a complimentary beach towel and will have opportunities to earn prizes and rewards by engaging with various exhibits and activities.
The event is made possible through the support of numerous local partners. Rotary member Mandy Myers will provide and serve hot dogs for attendees, while Werner Books has donated hundreds of books to be distributed during the event. The Imagination Library has also contributed 130 books to help encourage summer reading.
The event is free and open to elementary-age children and their families.
For more information, contact event coordinator Dr. Karen Staab at (814) 881-8782 or staabpsychserv@gmail.com. Additional inquiries can be directed to Rotary President Richard Seymour at Richard.Seymour@northwest.com or press contact Maureen Rizzo at mrizzo@brevillier.org.