| Akron and Summit County are record-breakers.
On Wednesday, Jan. 14, the city and county rallied to achieve a common goal - to have the
most people reading for 30 minutes in one day. And they did it! As of Thursday afternoon,
Akron and Summit County had 51,541 people report reading activities of 30 minutes or more.
More than 199,000 hits had been recorded on the This City Reads Web site. Mayor Don Plusquellic kicked off This City Reads with the official
program launch Wednesday at his 10:15 a.m. press conference at Main Library, followed by
children and adults reading from 11 - 11:30 a.m. in an attempt to break the record set by
Tifton, Ga. for the most people reading at one time. "The enthusiasm for This City
Reads was tremendous, so I never doubted for a moment we would surpass the record. What
pleased me most was the effort put forth by everyone associated with this event. It is the
kind of thing we do so well in Akron," said Mayor Plusquellic.
Following the successful launch, organizers are
concentrating on the program's initiatives. "We are proud of the grassroots effort
that was launched on January 14. Now we must act just as powerfully to touch the lives of
the one in four adults in our community that cannot read," said Sue Lacy, project
coordinator. "I believe that the effort today shows that Akron and the surrounding
area care about reading," said Rick McIntosh, executive director of Project: LEARN of
Summit County. "Those of us who work daily to improve literacy hope that the momentum
from Wednesday will be a springboard for increasing programs and services for all children
and adults who need assistance."
For up-to-date information on This City Reads! programming,
visit www.thiscityreads.org or call
330-434-9461.
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