The Swan Hill Regional Libraries have wrapped up another successful Big Summer Read program, with 179 children between the ages of 5 and 17 across the municipality collectively reading an impressive 3,990 books.
Swan Hill Regional Libraries Manager, Camille Cullinan said the initiative, which spans across 49 library services throughout Victoria, encourages school-age students to read during the summer period, a time often referred to as the ‘summer slide.’
“This initiative has been created to help children and teens maintain their reading habits in order to combat the decline in literacy levels over the long summer break,” said Ms Cullinan.
“We are incredibly fortunate to have a large number of sponsors who support this very important program. Through their generosity, we are able to offer wonderful prizes, and without this support, the program wouldn’t be as successful as it is.”
The Big Summer Read celebrations were recently held at the Robinvale Library and Swan Hill Library, with a variety of prizes up for grabs for young readers, including an iPad, a 32” Smart TV, AirPods, Lego sets, and gift cards. All participants who submitted a completed reading log were entered into the draw, giving them a chance to win prizes.
Ms Cullinan said she was looking forward to the initiative’s continued success in the future.
“We’re fortunate to have loyal business and community sponsors who have supported this initiative over the years, and we look forward to partnering with them for future programs,” she said.
