JOINT BASE CHARLESTON, S.C. –
With over 420,000 minutes logged so far, the JB Charleston community is well on its way toward accomplishing the goal of one million minutes spent reading as part of the Department of Defense Summer Reading Program.
The Summer Reading Program, an incentive to get people to read more, is open to children, teens and adults alike. This year's theme is, "Read for the Win." The theme celebrates sports and achievement and aligns with the excitement of the upcoming Summer Olympics in Rio. This year's program kicked off June 6th and will conclude July 29, 2016.
According to Angela Aschenbrenner, JB Charleston Library Director, "The goal of any summer reading program is to prevent the backwards slide kids have during the summer. If kids don't read during this time they may actually slide back and lose some of their reading level. Our summer reading program aims to help prevent this loss."
In addition to logging time spent reading, this year participants can also log up to 60 minutes a day of physical activity spent at 628th Force Support Squadron facilities such as the Fitness Center or golf course.
"We decided to add incentives for playing sports and being active all summer to fit in with the theme of keeping your mind and body healthy at the same time," said library special events and programs coordinator Cynthia Schultz.
The Joint Base Charleston Air Base and Naval Weapons Station Libraries both host events and offer weekly prizes to encourage and engage participants of all ages. At the end of the program there will be grand prizes to be raffled off among top readers in each age group of children, teens and adults. The libraries also host monthly book clubs year-round for teens and adults.
The Summer Reading Program, which aims to inspire literacy and lifelong learning, has grown greatly since it began in 2010. The program experienced 400% growth in participation after its first year. Growth has been steady since then: 11.8 million minutes of reading time were logged during 2011 summer reading program and 2015's program ended with 41.7 million minutes of reading time from participants around the globe (equivalent to 79 ½ years).
To join in on the fun, you can sign up at:
http://usaf.evanced.info/charleston/sr/homepage.asp, and visit the JB Charleston's library official Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/JBCharlestonLibraries/ for ongoing updates and events. If you're looking for other resources to get you started, why not check out the Chief of Staff of the Air Force or Chief of Naval Operations reading lists available here: http://static.dma.mil/usaf/csafreadinglist/01_books.html
http://navyreading.dodlive.mil/