Jacksonville: MAYOR DEEGAN HONORS NINE YOUNG READERS AT SOUTHEAST REGIONAL LIBRARY

~ Jacksonville, FL - On Monday, Mayor Donna Deegan recognized nine exceptional young readers during a special ceremony at Southeast Regional Library. The event was held to honor students who have shown dedication to reading and exemplify the goals of the city's River City Readers initiative.

The honorees, ranging in age from 4 to 17, were carefully selected from public, private, charter schools and homeschool programs across Jacksonville. This diverse group of students reflects the reach of the River City Readers program into every corner of the city's community.

In her speech, Mayor Deegan emphasized the importance of reading for children's personal growth and for the betterment of the city as a whole. "Every child who picks up a book is building a better future for themselves and our city," she said. "These young readers inspire all of us, and I am proud to celebrate their love for learning through River City Readers."

The honorees were recognized for logging the most reading minutes in the Beanstack app during this phase of the challenge. They are Leo Hallabrin (age 4) from Neptune Beach Elementary School, Shreya Rao (age 5) from a private/charter school, Nile Collins (age 8) from Holiday Hill Elementary School, Prince Collins (age 9) also from Holiday Hill Elementary School, Vincent Lopez (age 8) from Jacksonville Heights Elementary School, Luke Griffin (age 10) and Meredith Griffin (age 11), both homeschooled, Philip Pinkerton (age 15), also homeschooled, and Austin Patterson (age 17) from Frank Peterson Academies.

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River City Readers is Mayor Deegan's signature literacy initiative aimed at promoting a love for reading among Jacksonville's youth and providing access to books and educational resources for families across the city. The program includes a Bookmobile that brings books and programming directly to neighborhoods in Duval County. Recently, the program has expanded to include the Mayor's Book Club, made possible by the Gate Foundation and PNC Bank. This program provides a free new book every month to every four-year-old in Jacksonville.

For more information about the River City Readers initiative, please visit www.jacksonville.gov/rivercityreaders. To learn more about the Mayor's Book Club, please visit Jacksonville FL Registration - Ferst Readers.

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