Literacy campaign nearing the end

LYNN – The end of the month is rapidly approaching, but families across the city still have time to log some quality reading time before the Lynn Literacy Campaign wraps its big event.”Everyone seems really excited for this,” said project coordinator Leah Danoff, from Operation Bootstrap. “Things are going really well.”The city-wide literacy campaign has been urging families throughout the month of May to read. In April, campaign organizers handed out boxes of books to organizations throughout the city, which then distributed the books to children and families. Danoff said the goal of the project is simple: get families to read together and keep a log of the number of minutes read per day.”We’ve distributed 6,000 reading logs and handed out over 2,000 books to families and organizations,” Danoff said. “We’re just continuing to urge families and kids to read more.”The campaign will end May 31 with “Lynn Reads,” an event on the lawn of the Lynn Public Library. The event is essentially a big party for the families that participated. The families are invited to bring their reading logs and, in return, students will get a treat along with more free books. Both children and adults will also have the opportunity to celebrate reading from all angles.Agencies and organizations such as 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 have been participating. Danoff said each agency involved will have a table at the event and offer some activity or information regarding literacy.The Lynn Reads event is rounding out to be a big day. Thus far it includes free books from Operation Bootstrap, a puppet show from 10:30 a.m. to 11:15 a.m., spoken word by Raw Art Works artists from 11:20 a.m. to 11:40 a.m. and an African dance performed by students from Building Bridges Through Music will close out the event when they take the stage from 11:40 a.m. to noon.There will also be food available, plenty of crafts and a host of resources and information for parents and families on a variety of issues.The event will run from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m., and it is free, but children must be accompanied by an adult, Danoff said.While the event brings an end to the month-long reading project, Danoff said families are still encouraged to read regularly.”The more we read the more we know,” she said. “We really just want people to read and have fun with it. That’s the big goal.”Chris Stevens may be reached at [email protected].