Enjoy Suncoast Remake Learning Days
By Angie Matthiessen, Executive Director – United Way of Charlotte County
Creativity has always been a loaded idea for me. Several areas where I feel creatively confident are in photography and I simply love the art of writing, wishing I had more time for it. When it comes to art, drawing and using that part of my brain, I frankly get a little anxious. Who can relate? One of the most special memories of being intentional with art was when my daughter was little. She and I would select greeting cards we had received with butterflies on it and then draw them handsfree and color them with glitter markers. Oh, the time we had.
Over the years, guess what grew as Leah’s favorite thing ever – you guessed it, butterflies. Both Leah and I wholeheartedly agree that those were the most special of times and we will forever cherish this memory. There is just something to be said for making space in our worlds for stopping, breathing, and channeling our inner creativity, letting it free like the butterfly. It just so happens, there are some opportunities for you and your loved ones.
Suncoast Remake Learning Days (SRLD), presented by the Suncoast Campaign for Grade-Level Reading with the support of The Patterson Foundation (TPF), consists of over 300 events. More than 271 organizations, such as schools, museums, libraries, after-school organizations, early childcare centers, universities, colleges, media outlets, places of worship and so many more are able to do things that they normally wouldn’t be able to do. The Patterson Foundation has enabled them to do amazing things for both adults and children engaging together in Charlotte County.
Below are some exciting and super creative opportunities for our youth of all ages (birth-high school) and their families, grandparents, caregivers and educators. I love the fact that our community can reap the benefits of a foundation that keeps giving.
Shannon Vianello, on the Engagement Team for The Patterson Foundation in Charlotte County says, “Creativity is bursting! There are so many creative engagement events, and everything is free! There has been painting, mini-golf, up-cycled plastic art, scavenger hunts and so many healthy activities for families in Charlotte County.”
Vianello has been attending as many of these SRLD activities as possible to sign students up for This Book is Cool, a summer program offered by TPF. She encourages parents to sign up their kids for This Book is Cool to encourage a love of reading. In addition, they receive a backpack with 20 books and all sorts of fun activities. All students in Charlotte County are eligible and it’s a fun way to keep your child’s mind active all summer. It’s a free program for children in grades Pre-K through 3rd grade. but parents must sign up by May 5.
Both of these programs are made possible by the generous support of The Patterson Foundation. The Suncoast Campaign for Grade-Leve Reading is a four-county effort in Charlotte, DeSoto, Manatee and Sarasota counties. It is focused on addressing the most common issues and obstacles that impact a child’s ability to read at grade-level proficiency. Both This Book is Cool and SRLD are to keep children reading and combatting summer slide.
Suncoast Remake Learning Days runs through May 4, 2024. With such a robust slate of creative offerings, you and your family will surely find several “Must-do” experiences. Download the app in the app store by searching SRLD2024. The deadline to sign up for This Book is Cool is May 5. For more information about both offerings, please visit: unitedwayccfl/SRLD24.
For more information about United Way of Charlotte County’s mission: Mobilizing the power of our community to break the cycle of poverty, please contact Angie Matthiessen, Executive Director. She can be reached at director@unitedwayccfl.org.