Mayor Deegan’s River City Literacy Initiative exceeds expectations, additional events scheduled

ActionNewsJax.com News Staff
·2 min read
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Mayor Donna Deegan’s citywide reading challenge for school-age children, known as River City Readers, has surpassed expectations since its launch at the Main Branch of the Jacksonville Public Library last month.

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Library officials reported an overwhelming turnout, with nearly 3,000 people attending the kick-off event, where thousands of books and almost 1,200 backpacks were distributed to eager participants.

Mayor Deegan urged attendees and the entire city to download the free app called Beanstack, through which children and their caregivers can log their reading minutes to reach at least 20 minutes per day. Top young readers will be rewarded with prizes at the end of the year.

So far, participants have logged more than 100,000 minutes of reading in the Beanstack app.

“Twenty minutes of reading a day paves the way for a brighter future,” Mayor Deegan emphasized. “I am excited to see that we are well on our way toward this year’s goal of logging 300,000 minutes, and I am looking forward to exceeding it.”

Upcoming events in support of River City Readers include:

  • Saturday, February 17th, 1:00 pm, Jacksonville Main Library

    • Junior Lit Chat Event with Mayor Deegan and local children’s author Brittany Jones. Attendees can expect book giveaways, a speech by Mayor Deegan, and an appearance by a fire truck.

  • Saturday, February 24th, 11:30 a.m., Brentwood Branch Library:

    • Mayor Deegan will participate in a Black History Month event celebrating the 124th anniversary of “Lift Ev’ry Voice and Sing,” distribute books and backpacks and engage with attendees.

  • Wednesday, March 6th, 3:30 PM, Rufus E. Payne Elementary School:

    • Mayor Deegan will attend a “Literacy Days” after-school event, read to children, discuss River City Readers, and distribute books and backpacks.

  • Saturday, March 9th at Noon, James Weldon Johnson Park:

    • Celebrate Family Reading Day with Mayor Deegan, featuring updates on River City Readers, book giveaways, and a chance to meet the mayor.

For more information, visit jacksonville.gov.

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