Jacksonville's literacy landscape has a new cadre of champions, courtesy of Mayor Donna Deegan's River City Readers initiative – a bold attempt to boost reading abilities across Duval County. In a celebration of the program's inaugural year, the top 25 bookworms—both young and old—were duly recognized in a City Hall ceremony. Reflecting the broad participation the initiative has inspired, attendees celebrated the collective achievement of nearly 3 million minutes of reading logged through the Beanstack app.
In an event that highlighted the drive toward educational empowerment and job creation, Mayor Deegan made a pointed connection between reading and the city's future economic and civic development. "Reading opens doors to new worlds, sparks our creativity, and empowers us with the knowledge to shape the future," Mayor Deegan said on the City of Jacksonville website. Prizes for the honorees were as varied as iPads and tickets to Icemen games, symbolizing the tangible rewards of a commitment to literacy. This initiative isn't merely an annual contest; it’s envisaged as the start of a lifelong affair with literature.
The program recognized a diverse group of youths, starting with Pre-K standouts like Evelyn Cawley and twins Owen and James Straker. The 6-10 age bracket saw winners like Beau Archer and Ada Rolon, a homeschooler, while adolescents from 11-14 such as Felix Andonie and Ro Rolon were also celebrated. The oldest cadre of young readers included high schoolers like Skye Nash from Douglas Anderson School of the Arts. Adult participants weren’t left behind, with individuals like Delores Johnson and Grace Ortiz among those recognized.
Looking ahead, Mayor Deegan has plans to build on this success and further cement the ethos of reading into the city's fabric with a new bookmobile, funded entirely by private donations from the Lucy Gooding Foundation and PNC Bank. "I couldn't be more thrilled to support readers, as we celebrate their commitment to expanding their minds, building their imaginations, and developing lifelong reading habits," Mayor Deegan noted on the City of Jacksonville website.
