FORT BELVOIR, Va. -- It's official. Although they may not appear to be world record-holders, Fort Belvoir Elementary School students can lay claim to helping set another new participation record for a shared-reading experience by being part of the more than 2 million children around the world who simultaneously experienced the joy of reading with an adult in their life as part of Jumpstart's Read for the Record 2009 campaign.
According to Jodi Hullinger, spokesperson for Jumpstart, the campaign officially set a new record on Oct. 8, as adults across the globe read Eric Carle's "The Very Hungry Caterpillar" to 2,019,752 children, including students in Fairfax County Public Schools.
On Belvoir, Christie L. Black, Miss Virginia United States, read the book to all of the third-grade classes at FBES, and the USO Metropolitan Washington donated 771 copies to all of the pre-K, kindergarten, first-, second- and third-grade students.
Read for the Record began in 2006. In 2008, the campaign set the world record for an event of its type, bringing together 688,781 in homes, at local libraries, parent groups, preschool centers, and major public venues, in reading the official campaign book, "Corduroy."
Jumpstart is a national early education organization that works to raise public awareness about the educational importance of early childhood programs, early literacy and community involvement for all children regardless of income level, and raise funds for early education in low-income communities.
Presented in partnership with sponsor and founding partner Pearson, this year's campaign donated more than 275,000 books and raised more than $1.4 million to support Jumpstart's year-long work with preschool children.
Social Sharing