Lynn Literacy Campaign committee gears up for May reading month

LYNN – The Lynn Literacy Campaign committee handed out boxes of books to agencies all over the city Tuesday in preparation for May being named Lynn Literacy Month.”We want to have kids reading in May so they have to have books,” said Travis Harris, an AmeriCorps volunteer with Operation Bootstrap and one of the organizers of the event.Program organizer Leah Danoff, also from Operation Bootstrap, said the goal of the event is simple, to get children and their families reading. The campaign committee met to iron out details for the event that officials said starts May 1 and will end with a Lynn Reads Celebration on the front lawn of the public library on May 31.Along with distributing books, Danoff said the various agencies involved will also hand out calendars or reading logs to children and families so they can track their daily reading for the month of May.According to statistics provided by the Lynn Literacy Campaign, students should read 300 minutes per month, which equals about 10 minutes a day or 15 minutes in a five-day week.At the end of the month, participating families are invited to bring the logs to the Lynn Reads event, where students will get a treat, along with more free books. They will also have the opportunity to celebrate reading from all angles.Tuesday, representatives from the Lynn Museum and Historical Society, Lynn Economic Opportunity’s Head Start program, Gregg House, a child care center, Raw Art Works, the Lynn Public Library and St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church worked to iron out details for the upcoming event.Danoff said each agency involved will have a table at the event and offer some activity or information regarding literacy. Abby Battis, assistant director at the museum, said they are working on a plan for participants to make their own postcards. Kim Ruma from the Gregg House said they will have a life-sized Scrabble board.Joann Dropper from St. Stephen’s suggested having a table relating to gardening with seed catalogs, and Elaine Ventola from RAW said she might persuade her teens who are taking part in a spoken word competition to perform.The New American Center, Girls Inc., Catholic Charities and the North Shore Day center are also expected to have tables.Danoff said they are also looking into the possibility of having a storyteller, puppeteer and or music available as well.The event will run from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. and it is free but children must be accompanied by an adult, Danoff said.The group will meet twice in May to hash out final details, but book distribution will start immediately because the big picture event is to get kids to read, Danoff noted.”Now it’s about pushing reading to the families,” she said. “We’ll give out books at Operation Bootstrap, I know the Gregg House is already doing it ? this is a city wide event.”Anyone who would like to take part in the event can reach Danoff or Harris at Operation Bootstrap at 781-599-8543.