In September, a StoryWalk like this one from Vermont will be installed along the Milford Riverwalk
Neyda Albarran, a pastor at Avenue United Methodist Church and the leader of the Culture Club PR, thanked Milford Parks and Recreation at a recent City Council meeting for agreeing to place a “StoryWalk” along the Riverwalk. The project will have pages of a book displayed on several plaques along the river.
“Children and families can walk, engage in movement and also enjoy a book,” Albarran said. “The book is all about celebrating community and all of y’all who work so hard at making our community the best ever. We wanted you to know we are grateful.”
The book, “Cheer Animar,” is a picture book that encourages children to cheer for their community, including police officers, firefighters, librarians and others.
“I’m here on behalf of the Culture Club PR which is a multicultural club for kids that meets here in Milford, Seaford and Georgetown, where we teach kids about different cultures in a hope to promote peace, understanding and diversity,” Albarran said. “I just wanted to thank you, but I also have invites for any of you who might be able to be at the ribbon cutting and unveiling of the StoryWalk which will go from the Farmer’s Market or North Pole Creamery, as that is what the kids remember, to the playground.”
Albarran continued that the StoryWalk would be placed on the side of the Riverwalk opposite the river and would remain for one month. A ribbon cutting and unveiling is planned for Friday, September 6 at 6 PM.
“If the city likes it, we can maybe talk about another location to attract families to go and read and walk in that location,” Albarran said. “It talks about all the people in our city and it would be awesome if we could have a representatives from the various departments in the city at the ribbon cutting and first reading.”
The book also promotes families, Albarran explained, so it is a great activity for mothers, fathers, grandmothers and others who care for children.
“We have translated it into English, Spanish and Haitian Creole,” Albarran said. “So, we’ll have all three languages available for our families and, as we get more resources, we’ll add more, but for now, we will have all three on the pages that will be displayed to include all community members.”
StoryWalk was created in 2007 by Anne Ferguson of Montpelier, Vermont, in collaboration with Rachel Senechal, a former staff member of the Kellogg-Hubbard Library. Today, there are StoryWalks across the United States as well as 13 countries around the globe. It is a fun and educational family activity that promotes reading as well as the outdoors.
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