Children's Reading Festival this Saturday

Once upon a time, there was a Children’s Reading Festival that grew more rousing and fun every year, and would bring together story tellers, book lovers and children’s authors from nearly everywhere!

The Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. are gathering for their 11^th Annual Children’s Reading Festival. Free to the public, this event will be held on Saturday, October 16, 2010, in Victoria Park from 10am to 4pm. 

Denise Riviere, President of the Bermuda Alumnae Chapter said: “In today’s video game and television society, it is critical that we remind children and parents that reading is vital to the future success of our community and economy.”  The Children’s Reading Festival continues to prepare and motivate children to read by delivering over 6,000 books and literacy resources to children and families in Bermuda.  This free event targets infants to primary six aged children.  Delta Sigma Theta’s effort is rooted in the idea that in order to ensure that children can read, you have to get them excited about reading.  Our thrust is to remind children and families that reading is fun.

Since 1999, the Children’s Reading Festival has been Bermuda’s largest and grandest literary event.  As a small island country, we must continue to address the issue of literacy in our schools, our homes and our communities, never forgetting that a lifelong bond to books is made not only through instruction, but through the personal connections we make to the inherent joy of reading.  By giving a complimentary book to each child we aim to help start a collection, or add to an existing library.

Jana Pitcher, one of the original visionaries of the event shares: “We provide an atmosphere at the Children’s Reading Festival where parents can see their children engaged in the reading process. We demonstrate to parents that by reading books which are above the child’s reading level has far reaching benefits. Children can comprehend at a level higher than their reading ability. Parents reading to their children will introduce new words to their child’s vocabulary, while stimulating and enhancing fluency in reading and literacy.”

In addition to regular story time, other activities include a creative arts station for drawing, colouring and creative writing; face painting; fun castles; a puppet show, magician, reading games, autographs by sports role models, and local children’s authors.

Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc. was founded in 1913 at Howard University, Washington, DC by twenty-two legendary women.  Today, Delta is the largest public service sorority in the world with more than 200,000 members and over 900 chapters internationally.  The Bermuda Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta was chartered on June 9^th, 1989, and obtained registered charity status (#596) in 2001.  The chapter remains dedicated to Sisterhood, Scholarship and Service and strives toward making a positive influence in the lives of those in Bermuda through volunteer advocacy, public service and social action.