Belmont University’s 6th Annual Family Literacy Day, will take place, rain or shine, on Saturday, April 1st from 1-4 p.m. The event, called Read With Me, is aimed at children from pre-K through grade 6 and their families and is designed to celebrate the joys of reading. The primary focus of the event is Reading Circles, hosted by various groups on campus such as the Black Student Alliance, the foreign language majors, the Student Athlete Council and numerous fraternities and sororities. Each group picks a different theme and has variety of books for all ages.
When children visit a circle and listened to or read a book, they receive a sticker. After collecting two stickers, children can visit the games area or crafts area where they can play a reading related game or make a reading related craft such as a book mark or even their own book, or visit the refreshment area for a treat.
After collecting six stickers by visiting six different Reading Circles, children can pick out a book of their choice from hundreds of new children’s books donated by Book’em. In addition, there will be drawings for a variety of door prizes, as well as balloons, face-painting and plenty of fun to go around. The event has been made possible in the past through the financial support of the Dollar General Literacy Foundation and significant participation by Book’em, PENCIL Foundation and Sodexho.
Belmont’s Family Literacy Day is but one of many components of the Belmont Volunteers for Literacy program, that include ongoing tutoring programs at Carter-Lawrence School, Sevier Park Community Center, and English tutoring with children and adults through the YMCA Hispanic Achievers program.
Family Literacy Day is designed to serve as a celebration of the year’s activities, giving the children and student participants of the ongoing programs a chance to have fun and reflect on their accomplishments. It also serves as a way of encouraging additional Belmont students, faculty and staff to get involved in the literacy effort in our community, and it provides a way for Belmont to give back in a small way to the community of which it is a part and from which it receives so much.
For additional information about Belmont’s Family Literacy Day, contact Tim Stewart, Coordinator of Community Service, Belmont University, 1900 Belmont Blvd., Nashville, TN 37212, 615-460-5431, stewartt@mail.belmont.edu. Photos and a story about the 5th Annual Family Literacy Day can be found in Belmont’s News Archives here.
