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

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.