CLEARFIELD – First Book-Clearfield County is holding a Kick-Off event Aug. 6 from 6-8 p.m. at Shaw Public Library in Clearfield.
All children attending the event will receive a new book, free of charge.
Activities and refreshments will be provided, and Clifford the Big Red Dog as well as other favorite children’s characters will be visiting the library.
Parents are urged to bring a camera to take pictures of their children with the characters.
This community event is a collaborative effort with the following organizations: Clearfield County League on Social Services, Early Care & Education Committee; Penn State Cooperative Extension, Clearfield County; Cen-Clear Child Services; Children’s Aid Society; and the Shaw Public Library.
First Book is an award-winning nonprofit organization with a single mission: to give children from low-income families the opportunity to read and own their first new books. First Book was founded in 1992, and since that time has provided more than 50 million brand new books to children in need in thousands of communities nationwide. The national office is in Washington, D.C., but there are more than 265 local advisory boards working in communities throughout the U.S.
There are millions of children around the country — and many right here in our own community — who are waiting to experience the magic of reading.
A recent study found that there is just one book for every 300 children in low-income neighborhoods, compared to 13 books for every one child in middle-income neighborhoods. Over 80 percent of child care centers serving low-income children lack age-appropriate books and other print material. By providing children from low-income families with books that they can take home and keep, First Book targets the only variable that correlates significantly with reading scores — the number of books in the home.
In our local community, people can donate money to First Book-Clearfield County to purchase more books. These can be used to provide grants to local literacy programs and to distribute additional books to other community organizations serving low-income families.
A $2.50 donation helps to put a brand new book into a child’s hands.
For more information on or to become involved in First Book-Clearfield County, call Susan Bloom at 765-2613 e-mail her at clearfieldcounty_pa@firstbook.org.