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Lynda LeVan, 423-648-6043, lhl@cdmfun.org
Director of External Affairs
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PR Coordinator
Leading the Way to Improve Literacy in Chattanooga
Leadership Chattanooga Unveils Community Bookcase for Children
at Creative Discovery Museum
(April 23, 2010) – The 2010 Class of Leadership Chattanooga will unveil its second Common Shelf Community Bookcase at Creative Discovery Museum on April 29th at 11 a.m. One of two bookcase locations, the Common Shelf located at the Museum will be dedicated to housing children’s books. Community members and guests of the Museum are invited to bring a book to fill the shelves, take a book to read, and enjoy complimentary refreshments as part of the ribbon cutting celebration.
The 2010 Leadership Chattanooga class designed the community bookcase to encourage literacy, art, and community building in Chattanooga. The premise of the Common Shelf is to “Take a book. Leave a book.” and is open for participation to anyone who enjoys reading and wants to help open the world of literacy for others. The bookcase at Creative Discovery Museum will be located just outside the Museum entrance, making it easily accessible to anyone interested in participating in the program.
The goal is for Museum members and guests to help the Leadership Chattanooga class keep the shelves filled with a variety of interesting and age-appropriate books to support children’s interest in reading.
“Even for excellent readers, it is important to spark an interest in books, and summer is the perfect time for children to find enjoyment in reading what they like while continuing to improve their skill level,” stated Lu Lewis, a leader in Early Childhood Education and the role literacy plays in child development. “Research from several studies concludes that children lose two to three months of their reading ability if they do not continue reading during the summer. So, it is good for children to adopt and maintain an excitement for reading at an early age.”
The Common Shelf at Creative Discovery Museum will be accessible throughout the summer months. The bookcase’s building materials were donated by Collier Construction, and the design and construction was completed by Museum staff and Collier Construction. Children from Northside Learning Center contributed their artistic talents to paint and decorate the bookcase.
About Creative Discovery Museum
Creative Discovery Museum is open Mon-Sat: 10 a.m.-5 p.m., Sun: noon-5 p.m. 321 Chestnut Street, Chattanooga, TN 37402. Creative Discovery Museum is recognized as one of the top children’s museums in the nation. It is a non-profit organization dedicated to educational enrichment for children age’s 4-months to 12-years-old through interactive, hands-on experiences that foster creative and critical thinking. Creative Discovery Museum focuses on a broad range of areas encompassed by Visual Arts, Performing Arts, Technology and the Sciences. In addition to its exhibits, Creative Discovery Museum provides local residents and visitors with special events, educational programming, teacher resources for the classroom, field trips, after school programming, early childhood education classes, artist residencies, camps, art lessons, science demonstrations, and a branch of the local library. Creative Discovery Museum is a funded agency of Allied Arts and Tennessee Arts Commission and the Institute of Museum and Library Services.
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