Laps4Literacy event sees record turnout

LANCASTER – Nearly 2,000 children and parents flocked to The Hangar on Saturday for a family fun day to promote literacy.

The 4^th annual Laps4Literacy event took place from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. and drew a record turnout, organizers said.

“We probably doubled attendance from last year, so we would definitely call it a success,” said Susan Montalvo, of the Childcare Resource Center, the organization that hosted the event.

“It keeps getting bigger every year,” Montalvo added.

The event kicked off with a 5K walk/run/stroll that drew about 400 participants. The day continued with a host of special performances, children’s activities, games, face and hair painting. There was also a mini farmers market, where families could pick out fresh fruits and vegetables to take home, at no charge.

The family fun day was aimed at promoting literacy in the Antelope Valley.

“Our whole goal is to help people understand why literacy is so important and what the problem is here in the Antelope Valley,” Montalvo said. “The illiteracy rates are really high, so our goal is to make sure that every child we come in contact with gets to take home an age-appropriate book.”

Regina Brooks attended the event with her two foster sons, Teaghan and Taetumn. She said the farmers market was a hit with her boys.

“They got to bag up the fruits themselves, so they really enjoyed it,” Brooks said.

For Brooks, the event fulfilled another more important purpose.

“It gave the kids the opportunity to see that reading is fun, that you can still have fun while you learn,” Brooks said. “That’s really why I brought them out.”

For more pictures from this event, visit our Facebook page.

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