Summer is soon upon us, which means it’s time for our annual summer program, as well for some new recent additions to our summer traditions at the library–a summer reading challenge and a storywalk!
Starting in 2020, we’ve been so thankful to have a donor family who’s been willing to step forward and offer to match dollars for hours read every summer. This year, we have an anonymous donor who has offered to match us up to 25,000 hours of reading. That’s a very cool $25,000, an entire 1% of our campaign. We are so thankful to this family for their very generous donation!
Since launching our campaign for a new library back in April 2021, we have raised over $1,000,000. We are so grateful to everyone who has supported us along the way–from donors to readers–and are looking forward to raising more money this way.
And we are also looking forward to a really fun summer reading and storywalk theme: 25,000 Leagues Under The Sea!
For both, we will be exploring the last frontier on Earth: the oceans. Pirate or merfolk? That’s the key question for the Storywalk as you create your own adventure tale on your journey to the bottom of the sea. The reading challenges will focus not only on pirates and the search for sunken treasure (you guessed it, $25,000 worth) but also on earning SCUBA stripes and learning some diving lingo as well as helping with the fight against plastic pollution.
You can register for the summer reading program starting today , May 31. There are reading challenges for all ages, and all reading between June 6 and July 29 that you report will be recorded toward the 25,000-hour community challenge. It doesn’t have to be books–all forms of reading (including audiobooks) counts! As does reading to others/being read to and rereading.
As in our past summer challenges, you can track your hours on Beanstack through an online browser, through the Beanstack app itself on your phone, or on paper forms you can pick up at the library.
You don’t even have to live in Berryville to participate. You can read along from anywhere as long as you register.
Beyond our reading challenge, the Storywalk will be this coming Saturday, June 4, from 8 am to 12 pm at the Berryville Community Center. It’s a one-mile walk taking you through 5 story stations. By the end, you’ll have collected your own individual tall tale about your time under the sea. We’ll also be joined by our own professional storyteller, Molly Sroges, and you can raise money for the building fund through pledges. For more information on the Storywalk, including a registration form, check here!
Though we’ve raised a lot of money, we still have a long way to go. But every little bit helps! So, please join us for both the 25,000 Leagues Under The Sea reading challenge and the Storywalk this week.
If you, your family, your business, or your civic organization is interested in sponsoring a challenge (including summer reading in the future), please let us know. We have raised over $50,000 through these types of challenges in the past 2 years, not counting whatever we raise this summer. They are very successful, fun fundraising opportunities for us.
Do you have any questions about how to use Beanstack? Do you have a personal reading goal for the summer? What are you planning on reading this summer? Tell us in the comments!
Berryville Book Buzz 