Contact Us Take The Pledge      
Transforming a Generation: 90% Literacy by Third Grade
Join the others who have taken the pledge:
Lisa Guillette, Christy Baer , Liz Tetreault, Shawna Carton, Arianna Lagges, Heather Quigley, Katrena McMahan, Heather Young, Kathleen Nealy, Sara Goodman, Kelley Williams, Beth Livers, kari broomell, FRAN PERKINS, Diane Bressner, Christina Hayes, Nichole Harris, Elizabeth Stenger, Rachel Holpfer, Angela Bosman, Toni Reukauf, Kirra OBrien, Janet Farmer, Hayley Gondek, shelby dorris, Gabrielle Wagner, liz woody, Gisele Parker, Gifford Youth Activity Center, Clare Hughes, Melinda Judson, Pamela Prange, Annie Brown, Maureen Nicolace, Jennifer Roberts, hannah kauferh, Vero Beach Museum of Art, Annie Brown, Nancy Prizito, Mindy Lessem Pollack, cheryl gondek, Sophie Wood, Carla Cundiff, Jennifer Steele, audrey colonna, Jody Houston, Mari Seg, Heather Thompson, Jenna Chatfield, Michele Smith, Vero Beach Police Department, Elizabeth Pinkney, Dean Stewart Photography, Autumn Wheeler, Doug Glenn, mardy hall, Tracey Barker, mary kannapes, Kerilyn Ngom, Teri Dugan, Ana Renuart, Mary Laquidara, Bridgette Diskin, Melody M Englert, FELLSMERE ELEMENTARY, Diane Mahan, Sandy Hamrick, Crystal Gothe, Susan Rosier, Helene Caseltine, Sonja Phillips, Nancy De La Hoz, Dee Hollenbeck, Alaina McCloud, Christy Baer, Amanda Emanuel, Edward Shanaphy, Kathleen Hamilton, Vero Equine Riding Academy , East Coast Earthworks & Excavating, Kristi Challenor, matt KdPIOvmNNItBy, Karen Taylor, Adam Faust, Michelle Bass, Susan Del Tufo, Nancy Sparkman, Jill Truax, Stacey Fletcher, Janie Graves Hoover, Kristina Trahan, janice pagan, Fellsmere Police Department FPD, -1' 1, Amanda Acker, jennifer jackson, Tessa House, Tricia Boyle, Ralph Sunshine Acquisitions, Angel Maldonado, Milli Wenzel, Marta Cronin, GEORGE JETT, Elizabeth Tetreault, Michele Sternberg, Kerilyn Ngom, Janet Alford, Jayne Becker, VBKA, joshua poindexter, sharon butler, ann prince, Agnieszka Szymanska, Isabel Marron , Patricia Mandell, Erica Thomas, Traci McGough, Kelly Palmer, Chuck Evans, Yasmin Medina, LaTanya Morgan, Ramon Echeverria, Therese Victoria, Cheryl Gondek, Ronda Weaver, Christina Lindgren, Dasie Hope Center, Lenora Ritchie, Kelly Sartain, Devi Maharajh, Bill McMullen, Brittany Lindsey, Tessa Stanley, Kim Brady, Amy Kelly, Sue Sharpe, Debra Schroeder, Megan Falcone, JOY VANHORN, Maria Alvarez, Lorri Dior, briana carter, Randall Hunt, Shannon Gillen, Patrick Toole, Marisela Luna, uritayay, Indian River County Chamber of, Tami Haffield, Shariea Shoatz, Lisa Wheeler, Elaine McGinty, Fidelity Investments, donna palmquist, Emily Wick, Lisa Segroves, Amy Speak, Nancy De La Hoz, Milli Wenzel, Whole Child Indian River, MAry Grace Hektner, Diane Donar, JIM BATORY, 1 -1', Lori Nalls, kelly baysura, Christina Lindgren, Renee Lincoln, Kristen Jones, Kristin Culbreth, Christine Ryall, Michelle Chandler, Cathy Durrett-Filusch, Lydia Galbraith, Megan Falcone, elizabeth bahl, Renee Boesch, Amber Petry, Kathryn Perez, Jeff Miller, Susan Rosier, Dr. Connie Proskovec, Elias Medina, jacki decaro, sabrina fraga, Celeste McWilliams, Linda Hammerle, Matt McManus, Sharon Delo, Annie Brown, Mark yBzNyaFpSKdSM, Lucy Roy-Delapaz, Paige Newinski, Laurie Pedersen, Jennifer Seifstein, Helene Caseltine, Emily Jarrett, Narda Pitkethly, Clare Hughes, Mardy Fish Children's Foundation, Mary Kramek, Matthew McManus, Kimberly Robideau, Laura McGill, Kim Klaus, Christopher Cummings, Dorothy Cominsky, Lisa Guilmette, Tara Luton , yaquelin andrade, Liane McMullen, Katherine Wolf, GoldenTabs VlNDAmqBXuOUgPSzn, Rhonda McGilberry, Susan Aguirre , Kim Klaus, AmeriCorps/Big Brothers Big Sister, Mary Ann Kalin, Ashley Farruggio, Cynthia Jorgensen, judy jones, TLA, Teri Barenborg, Kaori Fischer, F.A.C.T. Fellsmere Action Community Team, Karen Newkirk, Lillian Marsiglia, Kevin Maloney, keesha trusty, Gloria Severino, Lesley Lane, Literacy Services, Tirso Moreno, Bruce Green, Brooke Flood, Krishna Patel, Dorie Shemo, ggdxfg fdgfh, Nancy Blessing, Rebecca Blair, Donna Hedgecock, Jamie Stalter, Becky Levesque, Guillermina Walker, Dr. David Christiansen, Michael Van Houten, kayla poindexter, Carol David, Vero Beach Museum of Art, Sharon Klein, Kayla Chitty, Tammy Eriksen, Kelli Mejia, Courtney Mellin, Keondra Eberhardt, Bobbie Donelson, Elizabeth Pinkney, Cathryn Miquelon, LaTanya Gibson, Linda Condit, Erin Hollander, Emme Scheible, Theresa Wagner, Christine Sturgeon, Kelli Mejia, Margaret Dawson-Brown, renee fraker, Laura Zorc, Tiffany Carlsen, hannah kaufeh, Andrea Cosner, The Buggy Bunch, allene moorehead, Phoebe Beacham, yaquelin andrade, John obrien, Rose Brickles, Harvest Food & Outreach Center, Louis and Sara Smith, -1' 1, Nancy Blessing, Kenny Carmichael, Carrie Spencer, Tabitha Johnston, Janai Cooper, Melissa Hall, mardy hall, Karen Disney, parker hammond, LaTanya Morgan, Gretchen DiVincenzo, jorge luis ramirez, valerie conway, maria miranda, shelby dorris, Ramon Echeverria, Farrah Lemanski, Hope Woodhouse , Kay Yurigan, Shanti Sanchez, Di Pugh, Healthy Families, Andrea Cosner, Susan Rosier, United Way of Indian River Co., JIM BATORY, Thomas Moore, Vero Beach Magazine, Gloria Luna, Pamela Miller, Wendi Adams, Karen Malits, Debra Barnesd, Raquel Searcy, Nicole Piontek, Jeff The Bro, tommy collettit, Dorie Shemo, carrie fernandez, Indian River Taekwondo Langlois, Angel Maldonado, Brenda Zamora, Heidi Lourie, Sherry White, Achillies Pace, ruth darrigo, Cindi Ellis, buzz wurzer, Katie Collier, Casey Dunn, audrey colonna, Lisa Bishop, 1 -1', 211/Help Me Grow, Kathryn Woodall, Elizabeth Falkiewicz, charlene bentien, Indian River County Lawyers Auxiliary, Alejandrina Micket, Carolina Rojas, Sharon Klein, Deborah Dillon, Emilia Jacobs, Amanda Stevens, Stacey Klim, Karen Newkirk, Hollie McDougall, Susan Del Tufo, Tara Miranda, Mary Strickler, Susan Del Tufo, Jennifer Durrett, Patricia Mandell, Taylor Walker, Keith Touchberry, Sterling Bobbitt , Isabel Marron , Maria Ortiz, Kaori Fischer, Rhonda McGilberry, Becky Allen, Jennifer Croom, Nate & Kristen Bruckner, Marie OBrien, Mary Anne Sitkowski, Kelly Palmer, Donna Hedgecock, tommy collettit, ISABELLA LAGGES, Arlene Kahn, Suzi Rusin, Ramon Echeverria, Tanya BRAUN, Judy Whalen, Lisa McFaland, Heidi Lourie, Leslie Connelly, Lilibeth Ballina, Samantha Breen, Ralph Autullo, sharon richards, Jessica Cox, Growing Healthy Kids, Inc., DOE-OEL, Margaret Autullo, 1 1, Tiffany Justice, Bent Pine Golf Club, SHARYN A HAWKER, Lisa Barnum, Fenia Hiaasen, Barbara Johnson, belinda washimgton-davis, Heather Thompson, Robyn Bethel, Heather Helton, Mark Farrell, Mike Gaudio, jennifer roker, Tisa Blidgen, STEPHANIE CLARK, Rebecca Turner, Fourth Quadrant Partners, Sherrie Hale, Socorro Luna, Becky Warren, Marsha Van Arman, Gina Sultaire, Juelie Perry, Teri Dugan, Page Woodward, Mary Graves, Barneyxcq yWxcSpFGWvTabbVDxz, 1 1, Leslie Jones, Kidz Closet Charities, Deirdre Creech, maria marron, Sharon Klein, Patricia Beaudoin, Ann Mathis, Fidelity Investments, Joy Lukomski, Natalie Arbuckle, Nicolas ospina de la hoz, Jeanne Prince, Angela Jawhar, Kathy Minix, Sandra Daniel, test test, Brittany Bailey, Tina Campbell, Boys & Girls Clubs of Indian River County, Susan Del Tufo,

Read for the Record

Indian River County joined the world’s largest shared reading experience on Nov. 7, as more than 8,000 local children and adults joined more than two million others to read the same book as part of JumpStart’s 14th annual Read for the Record to highlight the importance of building early literacy and language skills. The county-wide event was coordinated by The Learning Alliance, the managing partner of the Moonshot Moment Literacy Movement.

The book, “Thank you, Omu!” by Oge Mora, tells the story of a community celebrating their connection through food. “Like the story, our Moonshot Community is about connecting and supporting one another. It's about coming together to take a stand for children and early education. We do this in service of the Moonshot goal which recognizes literacy as the gateway to our community’s prosperity,” said Marie O’Brien, TLA's Manager of Moonshot Outreach.

During the one-day Moonshot Big Read the book was read in elementary schools across the county and at Moonshot partner sites, including Dasie Bridgewater Hope, Kindergarten Readiness Collaborative Family Centers in Gifford and Fellsmere, at Childcare Resources and the Indian River County Library.

Literacy Services tutors and community guest speakers read at schools, Big Brothers Big Sisters, in VPK classrooms and the RCMA. Shanti Sanchez hosted several school groups for a reading of the book and art activity at the Vero Beach Museum of Art.

The idea behind Read for the Record is to bring together millions of people to highlight the importance of building early literacy and language skills for every child so that all children have the opportunity to enter kindergarten prepared to succeed.

“Another happy coincidence was that the Big Read coincided with the Samaritan Center’s annual Soup Bowl,” noted O’Brien. “It was the perfect day for folks to share this story over a bowl of soup and really brought home the message of the power of community – whether people come together to improve children’s literacy or to help the homeless – we’re always more powerful when we work together.”

“It was a pleasure to read this book at our 2019 Soup Bowl event,” said Gail Giarrusso, a volunteer at St. John of the Cross of the approximately 200 visitors to that location. “Although many of our guests were older, it touched many hearts. The generosity, as shown in this beautiful story, continues to be spread. May this and every generation be blessed with the lessons learned.”

The Learning Alliance’s Moonshot Reading Rocket made stops at several Treasure Coast Community Health locations in Vero Beach and Sebastian spreading the word that, literacy matters. Passersby participated in the creation of a community mural and dropped notes into Thank You! jars sharing what they are thankful for.

The final stop of the day was in partnership with the Marian Fell Library, where children and families gathered for a pizza party, signed up for library cards, played games, and enjoyed a reading of “Thank You Omu!” by Patti Fuchs, Indian River County Library children’s librarian.