PEEKSKILL – On Thursday, January 18, members of the Peekskill Rotary joined Peekskill Mayor Andre Rainey, other local elected officials and community members, and HRHCare executives to acknowledge the new Golden Bookcase initiative to promote child literacy. The bookcases, three of which are in the HRHCare Jeannette J. Phillips Health Center in Peekskill, contain English and Spanish children’s books that are free for children to read and take home. This program is targeted to increase the literacy skills of Peekskill pre-school and school-age children, and was made possible with help from the Hudson Valley Chamber of Commerce, Barnes & Noble, and the Peekskill Basics program.
“HRHCare has done so much for the community and this collaboration with the Rotary means so much for our children,” said Peekskill Mayor Andre Rainey. “This is well-needed, and I look forward to many more similar initiatives for our youth. Let’s get our kids reading these books!”
“Having the books on our Golden Bookcases makes it inviting for children to come into the Health Center, and contributes to their overall wellbeing” said HRHCare EVP and Founding Mother Rev. Jeannette Phillips. “The books are already flying off the shelves, and they have created an atmosphere of community. We appreciate the work of the Peekskill Rotary to make sure our children have the right to increase their literacy.”
80% of brain growth happens in the first three years after birth, which is why beginning childhood literacy at a young age is so important. The Golden Bookcase initiative was inspired by the Boston Basics Campaign, which works to make sure that every parent and caregiver understands the value in reading to their infants and toddlers, and encouraging their own literacy.
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