Altrusa International of Starke members visited Lawtey, Southside and Starke elementary schools recently as part of Florida Literacy Day.
This year’s book, “Moovers, Shakers and Milk Makers,” presented a story about dairy cows and milk production.
Altrusa members had fun listening to kids’ ideas about where they get their food (the grocery store) and where chocolate milk comes from (brown cows).
It was also interesting to learn that the sticker from the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services is on every gas pump to indicate that the pumps measure correctly; the Fresh From Florida sticker on food tells us that the product was grown in Florida; that the number 12 on a milk jug tells us that milk came from dairy farms in Florida; and cows’ poop makes methane, which powers generators and even the space shuttle.
Altrusa members read to 1,473 kids in 80 classrooms, visiting Southside Elementary on April 4, Lawtey Elementary on April 6 and Starke Elementary on April 11. Some of the children remembered the Altrusa members reading to them last year.
Those who read this year were Hilma Gaskins, Gale Trotter, Candace Osteen, Vicki Teal, Cheryl Canova, Beverly Hardy, Brenda Thornton, Kim Roberts, Rachel Rhoden, Courtnie Douglas and Sylvia Reddish.
Others in the community also read to help support Altrusa, including Tatum Davis, Brad Smith, Lynn Melvin, Patricia Evans, Mandy Taylor, Lisa Harley, Charlee Montford and Brooklyn Cunningham, as well as officers with the Lawtey and Starke police departments.
Susan Crawford also helped, reading herself and getting members of the Bradford High School Student Council to read. Those students were Masey Padgett, Ar’Nayshia Griffin, Jayden Lee, Kimberlyn Woods, Luke Stucky, Madison Highland and Breanna Brooks. These students read multiple times at each school.
Two students from Union County High School also stepped up to read: Bobbie Jo Montford and Karlie Hardee.
The club thanks all those who read. A special thank you goes to Sylvia Tatum and Lucy Montford for coordinating the visits with the schools, the schedule for reading times and getting volunteers to read. Without the volunteer readers, Altrusa couldn’t have done this project.
The Florida Literacy Day program began five years ago and is provided by a partnership between Florida Agriculture in the Classroom, the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. The funding used to purchase books comes from the sale of agriculture license plates, which Altrusa receives for free each year.
Due to the restrictions of going into the schools during COVID, Altrusa has been providing this program at Bradford elementary schools for the last three years. After the assigned reader shares the book with the individual classrooms, the book is given to the teacher, so it will stay in the classroom. Students also receive a fun worksheet to reinforce what they have learned.
