“Cat in the Hat” (Maureen Fox, of CAP) along with Lenny Giardino, CAP Healthy Families Program supervisor, and his two sons, Caden and Caleb, take a moment to pose at CAP’s second annual Literacy Festival. More than 1,700 gently used books, generously donated from the community, were distributed at the event.
Community Action Partnership News
(Madison County, NY – May 2014) In March, in honor of National Literacy Month, Community Action Partnership planted the seeds of family literacy at its second annual Literacy Festival. On the evening of March 28, families across Madison County had the opportunity to celebrate reading at the Madison-Cortland ARC’s Winoa Hall in Oneida.
Joined by more than a dozen community partners, CAP welcomed more than 120 parents and their children enrolled in CAP programs to spend time reading, enjoying live music, making crafts and choosing books of their very own to bring home.
Families attending this free event were warmly greeted by CAP staff and presented with a reusable book bag they were able to fill with gently used books donated by the community. More than 1,700 books were distributed and found new homes among the families attending.
Area librarians and community volunteers from Canastota, Cazenovia, Chittenango, Hamilton, Earlville, Morrisville and Oneida provided special crafts and activities for children. Children songs with Bob Kirk on the guitar began the evening and delighted everyone. CAP’s Dennis Hoover and his family rounded out the evening with an animated all-family sing-a-long.
DeeAnn Schaefer, humane educator from Wanderers’ Rest, joined the festivities with her three “reading dogs.” These cute pups provided an ear for listening and an inviting space for children to sit, relax and read through a book with a friendly dog at their side.
The Madison County Literacy Coalition, Colgate Bookstore, and CORE Credit Union also provided generous support with book donations and other valuable resources for families.
“This second year for Literacy Festival was another success thanks to everyone’s support and commitment,” said Nancy Joerger, CAP’s special education advocate and coordinator for the event. “I love doing these kinds of events and feel that we are making great gains with our families’ literacy development. I hear stories about the changes that families are making in terms of reading, and small steps yield great rewards.”
CAP also hosted additional events with moms, dads and mentor groups during the month of March. The parent groups gathered together to hear literacy specialists talk about the importance of reading to children from the very start.
CAP’s mentor program also gathered with 21 of their young mentees to talk about the art of storytelling.
All these events rounded out a month of planting the seeds of literacy to ensure future reading success.
CAP serves individuals, families and the community through a variety of programs. For more information about CAP programs visit www.capmadco.org or call 315.684.3144.