NEWS RELEASE
Great River Regional Library
GRRL Headquarters:
1300 W. St. Germain St.
St. Cloud, MN 56301
320-650-2500
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Breanne Fruth, Communications and Development Coordinator
320-650-2532
Subject: Great River Regional Library Kicks Off 2024 Summer Reading Challenge
Read, renew, repeat! Get ready to dive into summer with Great River Regional Library's 2024 Summer Reading Challenge!
Great River Regional Library (GRRL) will kick off the annual Summer Reading Challenge (SRC) on Monday, June 3, and continue through Saturday, August 3.
Registration begins on Monday, June 3, in the Beanstack app, on griver.beanstack.org, or by visiting your local library during open hours. Participants track their reading in the Beanstack app or using a paper slip, which they return to their library. Participants are eligible for prize drawings at the end of the program. In addition, each branch offers a unique assortment of prizes!
In 2023, across 32 branch locations, we had a record-breaking 12,973 babies, children, and teens participate! We anticipate another exciting summer with families in our communities.
This year’s theme, “Read, Renew, Repeat!” encourages reading as a restorative method of self-improvement and self-preservation. From the renewing of our minds to taking care of the environment, we inspire lifelong learning and growth. The challenge is open to all kids ages 0 to 18 and divided by age: pre-readers (ages 0 to 3), kids (ages 3 to 12), and teens (ages 13 to 18).
The mission of our reading challenge is simple: Encourage children and teens to read throughout the summer! Summer reading isn’t just fun; it’s extremely beneficial. Regular reading goes far in combating the “summer slide,” a term used to describe the loss of academic skills during the summer break. Students who join public library summer reading programs scored higher on reading achievement tests at the beginning of the next school year than those who did not participate – in some cases, significantly higher.
This program wouldn’t be possible without our generous sponsors. Thank you to Associated Wholesale Grocers, Belgrade Steel Tank Co. Inc., Bernatello’s Foods, Central Minnesota Optimist Club, Evenson Decker, P.A., Garage Door Store, St. Cloud Area Sertoma Club, St. Cloud Friends of the Library, St. Michael-Albertville Women of Today, and our anonymous donors for sponsoring the 2024 Summer Reading Challenge. We are grateful for support like this, which helps us bring the joy of reading to young people in our communities.
Visit your local library to learn more about how your children can get involved this summer. See your library’s hours at griver.org/locations. Visit the library’s website for more details at https://griver.org/summer-reading-challenge.
Great River Regional Library (GRRL) provides library services at 32 public libraries and one to-go system in Benton, Morrison, Sherburne, Stearns, Todd, and Wright Counties. GRRL2GO is a locker system that allows you to pick up items at the Sartell Community Center. GRRL supplies the residents of Central Minnesota with nearly 1 million books, CDs and DVDs, 250 public computers, programming, and information services.
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