Action News Jax Anchor Tenikka Hughes is as committed as READ USA is to children, literacy, and providing book choice and ownership to the community. Tenikka’s Books for Kids, since 2018, has raised and distributed 30,000+ books into children’s hands, hearts, and homes across Duval County.
But she doesn’t stop there.
Tenikka takes her advocacy further, using her platform and voice as a community megaphone for literacy and uplifting those around her who are similarly focused on the goal of eradicating illiteracy. Tenikka recently shared with us, “Illiteracy is something we should all be concerned about, because of all these other side effects that come with that, which impact all of our lives.”
For her commitment to literacy, and for her tireless work as a storyteller and journalist who consistently seeks the truth, READ USA is honored to recognize Tenikka as our 2024 Mark Landen Memorial Award for Democracy through Journalism Honoree.
Watch above as Tenikka discusses how illiteracy impacts our community and why she supports READ USA: “…I love that you all have that research-backed approach…because the need is there, and you all are really doing incredible work.”
Tenikka will be recognized alongside six other award honorees at our upcoming Peace in the Pages in Honor of Roseann Duran luncheon on Oct. 2 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at EverBank Stadium. You can read more about the event here.
Learn more about Tenikka Hughes and READ USA’s recently published Jeremy’s Journey book about her here!
Attendance to Peace in the Pages is currently a benefit to our generous donors who support READ USA at $1,000 a year or more. You can become a READ USA sponsor here or by contacting Sydney King, READ USA Development Senior Director, at sydney@readusainc.com.
Roseann Duran: A Life of Kindness & Generosity
Roseann Duran, who passed away earlier this year, was a tremendous force for good, kindness, and generosity who influenced thousands of lives during her time on this Earth. From establishing the Duran Genetics Center at Wolfson Children’s Hospital to leaving a transformational legacy gift to READ USA and beyond, Roseann was an active community builder and philanthropist whose impact was far and wide – yet personalized to every person she met along her journey.
READ USA has the honor and privilege of featuring Roseann in our latest Jeremy’s Journey book. Roseann’s family and friends recently sat down with Jeremy, our fictional storyteller, to learn her story, and her book is now available to order:
Our entire 2024 Jeremy’s Journey book series is dedicated to Roseann Duran, and our annual luncheon, taking place on Oct. 2, is officially named the 2024 Peace in the Pages in Honor of Roseann Duran event. Before her passing and legacy gift, Roseann was an ardent supporter of READ USA’s Book Fairs and Literacy Tutoring program, while supporting many other organizations that serve vital roles in our community.
Roseann was also an adventurer, a beloved “Aunt Rosie” to children and grandchildren of family and friends, an animal lover, a fierce tennis competitor, a high school majorette, an executive and business leader… and most impactfully, a genuine human who was dedicated to making the world a better place for all.
“Roseann radiated kindness, empathy, peace, freedom, leadership, and success – the very values that underscore the meaning and purpose behind our Peace in the Pages event and all that we do at READ USA,” Ellen Wiss, READ USA co-founder and board chair, previously shared. “To know Roseann and feel her zest for life was an immense blessing, and she will be remembered as someone who has had a transformational impact on countless lives in Northeast Florida for years to come.”
Read more about Roseann Duran’s inspiring life and community impact in her Jeremy’s Journey biography, which is available to order for $20/copy. READ USA is immensely grateful to her family and friends who contributed their time and memories of Roseann for this book.
We look forward to further celebrating Roseann at our Peace in the Pages in Honor of Roseann Duran luncheon on October 2. More information is available here.
READ USA Joins “Show Up to Shine” School Attendance Initiative
“We know that daily school attendance and literacy are inextricably linked…if students aren’t at school, we can’t teach them!” were the words that our President and CEO Dr. Rob Kelly shared during last week’s press conference announcing a new school attendance initiative.
At Arlington Elementary School (Go Little Dolphins!) last week, READ USA joined the City of Jacksonville, Duval County Public Schools (DCPS), and other nonprofit partners to announce, “Show Up to Shine.” The premise is simple: Duval County leads the state in the percentage of students who are habitually truant, and partners have come together to reverse this alarming statistic and trend. Because ultimately, it’s not about the statistics – but about the students who are missing daily opportunities to learn, grow, and of course, shine!
“‘Show Up to Shine’ will provide a steady stream of activities and incentives to help address these barriers and ensure that every child has the opportunity to attend school on a regular basis. Through our more than 150 city-funded after-school programs, we will provide enhanced resources for kids and schools,” Mayor Donna Deegan shared with the partners and media in attendance. To make the announcement, Mayor Deegan was joined by DCPS School Board Chairman Darryl Willie, DCPS Superintendent Dr. Christopher Bernier, Dr. Rob Kelly, Fourth Judicial Circuit Judge Michael Kalil, District 1 City Council Member Ken Amaro’s Assistant Joe Johnson, and nonprofit partners.
As shared by News4Jax, Show Up to Shine will involve:
- Recognizing good and improved attendance (not just perfect attendance)
- Engaging students and families in the importance of daily attendance
- Monitoring attendance data practices (and having a centralized tracking system)
- Personalizing outreach for those missing multiple days in a month
- Shifting social workers to work with families directly to remove barriers to attendance
For our part, READ USA will work alongside Blue Zones and City Year Jacksonville to initially focus on four elementary schools: Arlington Elementary, Jacksonville Heights Elementary, Long Branch Elementary, and Normandy Village Elementary.
Dr. Kelly shared, “READ USA will provide one-to-one literacy tutoring with our AmeriCorps teen tutors, family engagement events, Book Fairs, and other literacy and family events to support and enhance students’ interest and engagement with school, encourage regular school attendance, and ultimately help improve students’ literacy.”
Thank you to the City of Jacksonville, Duval County Public Schools, Blue Zones, City Year Jacksonville, and our other partners for coming together to address school attendance and have our students ready, willing, and able to SHOW UP TO SHINE!
You can watch some of the remarks from last week’s press conference here.
Did You Know Elmo’s Coming to Town?
That’s right! Sesame Street Live comes to the Florida Theatre on Friday, September 13 at 6 p.m., bringing Elmo, Abby Cadabby, Cookie Monster, and their friends together for a night of singing, dancing, and playing along! Plus, the all-new Sesame Street Live show lets kids follow Elmo’s puppy, Tango, in a fun game of hide & seek.
Follow the Florida Theater on Facebook here.
Sponsored by Community First Credit Union, tickets to Sesame Street Live are now available on the Florida Theatre’s website.
But that’s not all! There is an exclusive Photo Experience Add-On, giving you the chance to have your photo taken with the Sesame Street gang!
Plus – we might have an exciting, exclusive opportunity to share with you soon – stay tuned! (Or toon’ed, should we say?).
Thank you to Florida Theatre President Numa Saisselin for sharing this opportunity with READ USA and the community!
Children’s Book: More Than Peach, by Bellen Woodard
Illustrated by Fanny Liem
Bellen Woodard, who launched the More Than Peach Project—which arranges for classrooms and children in need to receive kits that include art supplies and boxes of multicultural crayons (crayons in a variety of skin tones)—relates the incident that sparked her journey.
As the book begins, she is dropped off at school and notices that her family’s skin tone differs from that of her classmates. While she is one of a few children of color at school, that difference isn’t really felt until her friends start asking for the “skin-color” crayon when they mean peach. She’s bothered that no one else seems to notice that skin comes in many colors, so she devises a unique way of bringing everyone’s attention to that fact. With support from her family and her school, she encourages her fellow classmates to rethink their language and starts an initiative to ensure that everyone’s skin tone is represented in each crayon box. Appealing, realistic artwork depicts Woodard’s experiences.
This moving book includes back matter about becoming a leader and improving your community just like Bellen. Her wisdom and self-confidence are sure to encourage any young reader looking to use their voice to make even great spaces better!
Submitted by Kathi Hart, Tutoring Program Content Specialist
Parent Education Corner: Expanding on Children’s Words
We are continuing our topic on creating a language-rich environment for your child. This week our focus is on expanding our children’s language (what our children say).
Expanding on children’s language, in English or in their home language, is a meaningful way to extend conversations with children. Here are some key ways you can extend a conversation by expanding on what children say or communicate:
- Expand on phrases so they are complete.
- Child: I want cookie.
- Adult: Oh, you want a sugar cookie for a snack.
- Make phrases more complex.
- Child: I saw Anna’s dog.
- Adult: You saw Anna’s little white dog, with the fluffy tail?
- Add novel and interesting words.
- Child: That elephant is big.
- Adult: That is an enormous elephant! Enormous means big.
- Provide more information.
- Child: Yay! Grandma is coming!
- Adult: Yes, Grandma is coming in August, and we are going to the beach!
- Relate to their lives and prior knowledge or experiences.
- Child: I am nervous about kindergarten.
- Adult: Remember when you started preschool – you felt nervous. But eventually when you were more comfortable there, you didn’t feel nervous anymore.
Children are learning new words every day. How many words they learn and how well they understand and use these words will have a significant impact on the kind of readers they eventually become. The more words children know, the more information they have. The more information they have, the better their understanding of the world!
Submitted by Kathi Hart, READ USA Content Specialist
Do you have any questions or ideas for the Parent Education Corner? Anything you’d like to learn? Let us know here!