Read to Lead presents a Texas-sized Literacy Event in Tomball

Read to Lead presents a Texas-sized Literacy Event to Kick-Off the Houston-Area School Year
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Introduce Your Children to Five Texas Heroes:
Stephen F. Austin, Juan Seguin, Sam Houston, Henrietta King, and Davy Crockett
 
Tomball, Texas, On September 10 Read To Lead, a new awareness campaign started by business leaders presents “Passport to Reading” featuring Texas heroes.  Read to Lead will also be awarding “Local Literacy Hero” awards to community leaders including City of Tomball’s Mayor Gretchen Fagan and Fire Chief Randall F. Parr. During this FREE event children will enjoy games and activities that were a part of these Heroes’ lives. They will collect stamps in their “Read to Lead Passport” along the adventure, presenting their filled Passport for a FREE book of their choice. There will be live music throughout the day, food and drinks, and special guest appearances by literary characters including Junie B. Jones and Cat in the Hat.
 
"I commend the "Read to Lead" campaign for raising awareness of the vital importance of early literacy,” said U.S. Rep.Rubén Hinojosa who is frequently honored for his work on Literacy issues.  “As our nation's children start the new school year, I urge educators, parents, and the general public to make reading fun, exciting, and engaging for our youngest readers.  I have always believed that early reading plus writing equals success in school and in life."
 
“This celebration of reading will hopefully kindle the desire to read in children during these first critical weeks they return back to school,” said Trey Holder, founder of Read to Lead campaign.  “Thank you to all the business leaders, who have pooled their resources to commit to fighting the falling literacy rates in our country.  We encourage and challenge other business leaders to join the Read to Lead Campaign and look forward to many more reading events going forward.”  Sponsors of the Passport to Reading event include Mercury Retail, H-E-B, Bright Sky Press, Random House, Penguin, Harper Collins, Hachette Book Group, Simon and Schuster, Kraft, Crayola and Topps. 
 
When:                        Saturday, September 10^th, 2011
 
Time:                         10:00 am – 2:00 pm
 
Where:                       Juergens Park, 1331 Ulrich, Tomball, TX

Who:                          Reading centered adventure activities for children 4-10                                         years old with entertainment as well as information for                                         parents on encouraging their children to read. 
                                   
                                    Local Literacy Hero Awards will be given to community                                        leaders including City of Tomball Mayor Gretchen Fagan                                     and Fire Chief Randall F. Parr.
 
What to see:                        Texas Hero Adventure booths for Juan Seguin, Henrietta                                     King, Stephen F. Austin, Sam Houston, Davy Crockett,
                                    with participation by Magik Theatre Actors who                                                       will be reading excerpts from the Texas Heroes Series                                                 books regarding their character throughout the day.
 
                                    Adventure activities will be held in the booths                                                          and throughout the park include a rock climbing wall,                                           carnival games, a bounce slide, and arts and crafts.
                                   
                                    Costume Character Appearances by Junie B. Jones,                                             Froggie, Cat in the Hat and Pokey Puppy and H-E-B                                               Buddy
 
Live Music:              Neal Kassanoff and the Groundworks Music Orchestra
                                    http://www.groundworkmusic.org/site/about-2/  Neal works                                             with nationally recognized musicians to pool education skills                                                 and creative abilities for both the classroom and recording                                      studios.
 
                                    Tim A. McKenzie, author, singer, songwriter will perform                                              with six instruments.  www.timamckenzie.comThe guitar,                                           banjo, harmonica, mandolin, fiddle, and bass fiddle which he                              believes are the "foundation" instruments of American roots                                                 music. Tim tries to encourage kids to develop an interest in                                           the sounds each one makes individually and when played                                              all together. Presented by Bright Sky Press.
 
 
About Read To Lead:
Read To Lead is a multi-tiered campaign that promotes reading and the vital benefits reading brings to our communities and way of life. Superior reading skills stimulate the mind, are fundamental to learning, and are essential in the development of many aspects of leadership. Read To Lead encourages people of all ages to rediscover the transformative power of reading by promoting reading as an indispensable component in creating, developing, and inspiring our leaders of tomorrow. As an educational partner with the communities they serve, Read To Lead’s goal is to build awareness of reading’s indelible power to enlighten minds, spark creativity, and stimulate critical thought processes. Through actions that genuinely effect greater reading activity across the United States, Read To Lead invests in our future by taking determined steps today.
 
To learn more visit www.ReadToLeadToday.org.Follow us on Twitter @readtoleadtoday. Search Twitter for Tomball event updates #R2LTomball1