Read to Lead, a new awareness campaign started by business leaders will present “Passport to Reading” featuring Texas heroes on Sept. 10 at Juergens Park.

Children will have a chance to see Texas Hero Adventure booths for Juan Seguin, Henrietta King, Stephen F. Austin, Sam Houston, Davy Crockett, with participation by Magik Theatre Actors who will be reading excerpts from the Texas Heroes Series books regarding their character throughout the day.

During the free event children will enjoy games and activities that were a part of these Heroes’ lives. They will collect stamps in their “Read to Lead Passport” along the adventure, presenting their filled passport for a free book of their choice. There will be live music throughout the day, food and drinks and special guest appearances by literary characters including Junie B. Jones and Cat in the Hat.

There will be reading centered adventure activities for children ages 4 to 10 with entertainment as well as information for parents on encouraging their children to read.

Adventure activities will be held in booths and throughout the park there will be a rock climbing wall, carnival games, a bounce slide and arts and crafts.

Live music will include Neal Kassanoff and the Groundworks Music Orchestra. Also Tim A. McKenzie, author, singer and song writer will perform using six instruments; the guitar, banjo, harmonica, mandolin, fiddle and bass fiddle.

“This celebration of reading will hopefully kindle the desire to read, in children, during these first critical weeks they return back to school,” Read to Lead Founder Trey Holder said. “Thank you to all the business leaders, who have pooled their resources to commit to fighting the falling literacy rates in our country. We encourage and challenge other business leaders to join the Read to Lead Campaign and look forward to many more reading events going forward.” 

Sponsors of the Passport to Reading event include Mercury Retail, H-E-B, Bright Sky Press, Random House, Penguin, Harper Collins, Hachette Book Group, Kraft, Crayola and Topps. 

Read to Lead is a multi-tiered campaign that promotes reading and the vital benefits reading brings to our communities and way of life. Read to Lead encourages people of all ages to rediscover the transformative power of reading by promoting reading as an indispensable component in creating, developing and inspiring our leaders of tomorrow.

The event will be on Sept. 10 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Juergens Park. To learn more, visit ReadToLeadToday.org.

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