Stop, Collaborate, and Listen with Star City Reads, Roanoke, VA

To start the session, Sheila Umberger, Director of Libraries for the Roanoke Public Libraries, discussed her experience with the library system being the lead of the GLR community in Roanoke. She encouraged coalition members and organizations to “stop” worrying about doing everything, “collaborate” (there’s plenty of work for everyone to be a part of the solutions that lead to grade-level proficiency) and “listen” by being both in and out of personal and organizational silos. Umberger, moderator of the webinar, went on to have a conversation about some of the coalition’s most high-impact programs with other presenters.

Jacqueline Bledsoe, past president of the Kiwanis Club of Roanoke, and Cheryl Hartman, Ph.D., immediate past president of the Kiwanis Club of Roanoke, spoke about Kiwanis Club initiatives that are a part of the coalition’s early school success work. Hartman talked about the Readers Today, Leaders Tomorrow program and the Westside Reading Buddies Program. Bledsoe addressed other Kiwanis initiatives, including a project to build a playground in a neighborhood of Roanoke in collaboration with families and children in the community.

Umberger introduced Feed and Read, a feeding program that takes place at the library and provides meals, literacy programs and kits for children. Brandon Comer, Director of Children’s Programs with Feeding Southwest Virginia, then described the way their organization contributes to the Feed and Read program by providing meals — in some cases freshly prepared — and getting them to the libraries for distribution. She also described what a community that wants to start a similar program would need to do to begin and implement the program.

Amber Lowery, MLIS, Manager of Youth Services with Roanoke Public Libraries, talked about programs that grew out of the Feed and Read program, including a kids’ farmers market where children can “buy” food with play money to take home. She also talked about how the library has pivoted during COVID to provide literacy kits that go home with families each month.

Finally, Umberger, and Elizabeth Martin, MD, a board member with Turn the Page, talked about how the Roanoke Baby Book was created and funded through the LifeRing Foundation as well as how it is currently distributed to all babies born in Roanoke. Martin also talked about other ways Turn the Page supports book distribution at schools and a doctor’s office as well as the effort to create the bilingual Roanoke Baby Book. Lowery shared information about the launch of the bilingual Roanoke Baby Book through a traveling story walk.