WAYNESBORO— United We Read will be introduced to children’s programs throughout Franklin County on Thursday, June 15, with a visit from award-winning Author, Pablo Cartaya. With support from Corning Credit Union and Straight Talk Association for Financial Empowerment, and in partnership with the Franklin County Library System, United Way of Franklin County will give over 500 books to area youth who are participating in local summer programs. In addition, participating programs will be visited by volunteer readers who will help read the book to groups or serve as active listeners for kids that want to read out loud.
Pablo Cartaya will be visiting Network Ministries, Waynesboro YMCA ,and Coyle Library to introduce and sign copies of the book as part of the kick-off of United We Read. In addition, Cartaya will be relating his life experiences to the stories he tells in his book and talking about what it’s like to write a book.
The goal of United We Read is to create an ecosystem of readers by building regular habits and an appreciation of storytelling with connections to volunteer readers and engaging books. The book, “Marcus Vega Doesn’t Speak Spanish” introduces relatable young characters that are navigating the dynamics of school and family, as well as a family trip to Puerto Rico and lessons learned along the way. Sarah Applegate, Children’s Librarian at Franklin County Library System said, “We hope that kids in our community will find that they share interests and family characteristics with the characters of this book and want to read more of Pablo Cartaya and other authors”.
“We’re excited to support a project that empowers young people to read and learn about other parts of the world they live in”, said Jamie Baker, Regional Manager at Corning Credit Union and Volunteer Reader.
United We Read is a pilot program and will run June through August, following the schedule of participating community programs. If you are interested in being a volunteer reader or supporting more reading or volunteer connections in –the local community, connect with United Way of Franklin County at 717-262-0015 or www.uwfcpa.org.
