Area families are invited to the fourth annual Reading and Rhythm Celebration for food, free entertainment and fun on Friday, June 20 from 3 to 6:30 p.m. in College of Business, Room 111, and the IRC Connector.
The Reading and Rhythm Celebration is designed to encourage kids to read during the summer months and to make reading fun for families. The event is sponsored by Ferris’ Students with Children and Keys to Degrees single-parent programs, in conjunction with Great Start Collaborative of Mecosta and Osceola County and the university’s Tot’s Place Child Development Center.
This event is one of many that are planned each year by Students with Children to support the Ferris student parents. The events are designed for families and have educational and recreational value as they help families become familiar with campus and community resources.
“We hope that the event will reach out to youth learners and encourage parents to continue with reading exercises throughout the summer and develop fun ways to read,” says Karen GreenBay, coordinator of Ferris’ SCHOLAR Peer Mentoring Program and the Students with Children Program. “We believe that the Summer 2014 performers will continue to attract families to the event with their unique talents.”
Previous performers include Tuba Tales and Alan St. Jean, from Battle Creek. Returning this year is Kevin Kammeraad, an artist, performer and children’s book author as well as Chris Linn, a comedian and performer who will engage the audience with magic and comedy.
Community resource representatives will be available to speak with parents and children about their services prior to the event and during the event’s intermission. Community resources may include MSU Extension-Cooking Matters, the Ferris Police Department, Great Start Collaborative and Big Rapids Rocket Football-Cheerleading.
Reading and Rhythm Celebration, an event designed to promote childhood literacy, is free and open to Ferris and families within the local communities.