“Read Around Town”  

In celebration of this month being National Family Literacy Month, we held a special Family Literacy Day event on our Golden Gate City campus.

The event’s theme was “Read Around Town,” and the Grace Place team came together to create our very own Grace Place Town for the festivities. As families enjoyed the celebration, they took part in activities that modeled how everyday tasks, like going to the grocery store or to the bank, can become opportunities to teach and learn together.

Family literacy is at work when two generations or more actively engage in learning together. At Grace Place, we provide programs to facilitate adults and children learning and achieving together, adhering to the best family literacy practices.

“When parent and child come together to learn, the whole community benefits. When family relationships are strengthened, neighbors and communities are strengthened as well,” said Dr. Tim Ferguson, chief executive officer of Grace Place. “This event gave our families the opportunity to make real-world connections that make learning endure, and last a lifetime.”

Grace Place Town included a community center featuring a fire truck and police cruiser, a museum, a grocery store, a newspaper, a bank, a restaurant, a post office, a library and a university. Each location had learning activities for the family to work on together, including projects, games and crafts. Families also went home with new books to grow their home libraries.

Special guests for the event include Collier County Sheriff’s Office’s McGruff the Crime Dog and local children’s book authors Ida R. Margolis and Rhonda Brazina.

A special thanks to all the volunteers for the event, which included groups from BB&T, Collier County Sheriff’s Office and Fire Department, Florida SouthWestern State College, Phi Eta Sigma National Honor Society at FGCU, Publix, R.A.G.E. (Young Adult Ministry for Destiny Church), United Arts Council and Wells Fargo.