Vero Beach, Florida - November 14, 2016 was the third annual Moonshot Moment Day of Service in Indian River County. Activities included a community tour at Vero Beach Elementary, guest readers in the elementary schools, a Pacesetter award presentation to over 175 people at the Vero Beach Museum of Art, and a "Book Em" event from the Indian River County Sheriff's Department to distribute free books to children. The Day of Service was a showcase and celebration of the Moonshot Moment, our County's collective goal to achieve 90% literacy by the end of third grade.
The Moonshot Moment supporters include a collaboration of philanthropists, non-profits, private businesses, governmental organizations, and concerned citizens in Indian River County.
The Day of Service kicked off at Vero Beach Elementary School where The Learning Alliance facilitated a school tour with over two dozen philanthropists and community leaders to see the innovative teachings and culture of this Title 1 elementary school.
At lunchtime, Susanne Bell, a consultant with the Campaign for Grade Level Reading out of Washington, D.C. presented the Moonshot Moment supporters with a national Pacesetter Award. The luncheon, hosted by The Learning Alliance and held at the Vero Beach Museum of Art, was attended by 180 community members and school district leaders to receive the national Pacesetter Award.
This was the third national Pacesetter Award that the Moonshot Moment has received. This award is significant and monumental because Indian River County's Moonshot Moment is one of only eight national communities to meet all four Pacesetter Award criteria in all areas of recognition (summer learning, attendance, and school readiness) in addition the overall grade level reading category, and the only organization in the state of Florida to receive this full recognition.
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The Day of Service was capped off by a community service outreach event, "Book Em," to put a new spin on being "booked by the police." The "Book Em" project was a collaborative effort between The Learning Alliance and law enforcement to deliver books to the community. The Moonshot Moment Bookmobile with the assistance of Law Enforcement delivered over 250 books to 60 children throughout the county.
"I’m truly overjoyed and proud of the commitment our community has made to the children of Indian River County. The Moonshot Moment is a timeless commitment to the future that will create endless possibilities where the children in our community break barriers of poverty, excel in learning, and transcend limitations. We’re creating a culture of curious learners and innovative thinkers that will improve the world. Our community should be proud of the successes it has achieved, and continue to press forward on this unprecedented journey that we have started. We will make Indian River County the literacy capital of the world!" -Barbara Hammond, The Learning Alliance CEO
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About The Learning Alliance:
The Learning Alliance is a catalyst for innovation and collaboration supporting the Moonshot Moment transformative goal by arming front-line educators, parents, and community leaders with the tools, knowledge, and support necessary for success. We are dedicated to achieving 90% student literacy by third grade. Through innovative, evidence-based approaches to teaching and learning, we empower teachers to transform children’s lives. Through partnerships with the School District of Indian River County, Indian River State College, community leaders and civic youth organizations in our community, we hope to create local solutions that can serve as a model for the nation. Visit www.thelearningalliance.org for more information.
About the Moonshot Moment:
In 2012, the former SDIRC Superintendent Dr. Fran Adams, in collaboration with The Learning Alliance, launched the “Moonshot Moment: 90% Literacy by Third Grade” making it one of the 140 communities working with the Campaign for Grade Level Reading (CGLR,) a nationwide movement of local leaders, states, nonprofits, and foundations putting a stake in the ground on third-grade reading. The communities are adopting a collective impact strategy, engaging the full community around the goal of supporting low-income children from birth through third grade. Acknowledging that schools alone cannot address all the challenges that keep children from learning to read, the School District of Indian River County works with nonprofits and other partners to ensure that children arrive at kindergarten ready to succeed, attend school regularly, and keep learning through the summer months. The Indian River County Moonshot Moment Literacy Leaders group is comprised of over 70 business, nonprofit, School District, and concerned citizens working together to create programs and momentum to reach the 90% literacy goal!
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