Race kicks off Salisbury Book Festival
The Race for Wellness and Literacy at the Salisbury City Park Friday kicked off a 2-month long series of events to help raise books for the youth of Wicomico County.
The event, featuring separate 5K and 1-mile races, was put together by the Wicomico County Board of Education, partnering with the City of Salisbury and the public libraries of Wicomico County.
Participants were encouraged to donate books to be distributed to the Title 1 schools in the county. Those schools include Prince Street, Pinehurst, Beaver Run, East Salisbury, Pemberton, Glen Ave, North Salisbury and Chipman Elementary.
The idea to donate books was inspired by a former Salisbury University professor.
"Runners were encouraged to donate books in memory of Dr. Ernie Bond, who was a professor at Salisbury University. And I understand he was an incredible professor, an expert, really, in literacy," said Dr. Donna Hamlin, Superintendent of Wicomico County Public Schools. "So it's in memory of Ernie that the books are being donated. Those books are being donated, actually to our school system that will be used in our Title 1 schools, and for students that we want to have lots of access to opportunities to read."
It's only the beginning of a two-month long series of events aimed to help the youth of the county with reading, called the Salisbury Book Festival.
"It's very important that children get books very young, before they get to the schools," said Andrea Berstler, Executive Director of County Libraries. "And so these books will be distributed through Daycares and early learning centers, head start learning centers in the area so that kids can have books in their home and they can learn about reading even before they learn to read."
To see a list of events coming up in the book festival, you can log on to the library's website, wicomicolibrary.org, and search for the Salisbury Book Festival.
"It's exciting. First annual, inaugural race. We look forward to many, many years to come," said Hamlin.
