Happy New Year everyone!
After a little holiday break, County Kids will be back to regular updates every month including posts on our Facebook page and a monthly newsletter. Make sure to click “Newsletter” at the top of the page to subscribe and receive info, updates, and events straight to your inbox.
So, what has CKR been up to this January?
Grant funding is imperative to the success of organizations like CKR. County Kids Read would like to thank the Huff Family Fund and the County Foundation for funding our grant application entitled, Post Pandemic: Closing the Learning Gap. The effects of school closures, online and at home learning caused learning gaps which were most pronounced for students from low-income families or students struggling with literacy acquisition. The monies from this grant will be used to purchase books to aid in closing the learning gap for our community’s most vulnerable children. Pictured below is Peta Shelton, our board treasurer, representing CKR as one of this year’s recipients.
On January 21st, County Kids Read participated in a pop-up party in Picton Heights on London Ave called Winterfest. This event was organized by the Department of Illumination with several other community groups. Picton Heights is traditionally underserved with events such as this, and with no cost to those attending, Winterfest was accessible to all members of the community. There were over 200 people in attendance, and everyone was able to enjoy games, food, and fun activities. Including story time (in snow pants!) with the PEC Public Library, and a selection of books to browse and take home thanks to County Kids Read. CKR was able to hand out over 100 books throughout the day. It was a truly wonderful winter event! Below are a selection of photographs highlighting all the fun . . .
Children choose from Dr. Seuss, Animal Snoops, and plenty more . . .
Keeping warm with a game of skee ball . . .
A pop-up puppet show . . .
Thank you to everyone who continues to support, donate, and follow County Kids Read.