Governor Bill Haslam and First Lady Crissy Haslam Promote the First Lady’s Read20 Family Book Club with Memphis Redbirds

Promotional night with the Memphis Redbirds to encourage Tennessee family participation

NASHVILLE – Governor Bill Haslam and First Lady Crissy Haslam visited the Memphis Redbirds, a minor league affiliate of the St. Louis Cardinals, to promote the First Lady’s Read20 Family Book Club.  As part of the promotional night with the Redbirds, Governor and Mrs. Haslam distributed copies of Andrew Clements’ Frindle, June’s Book of the Month, to the first 200 children to enter the stadium.    
 
“Baseball games are a great place to reach children and families during the summer, so I am grateful the Redbirds allowed me to promote the Read20 Family Book Club with them today,” Mrs. Haslam said.  “The Redbirds also encourage reading through their Rockey’s Rockin Readers program.  I hope that their fans enjoyed a great night at the ballpark and that they took home our message about the importance of early literacy, too.”

The Read20 Family Book Club was launched earlier this month to highlight the importance of early literacy and parental engagement in children’s academic lives, encouraging Tennessee families to read together for at least 20 minutes each day.  Mrs. Haslam has committed to promote her early literacy initiative this summer, through delivering books to children and visiting with Tennessee families.  During the month of June, the First Lady has been promoting her book club at minor league baseball games throughout the state.  Today’s visit to the Memphis Redbirds completes the promotional events for the June Book of the Month, Frindle.

“Literacy proficiency is essential for academic success, and the Read20 Family Book Club is another way to continue the conversation around the importance of growing reading skills early,” said Mrs. Haslam.  “I look forward to announcing the July Book of the Month very soon!  We have some exciting things planned for next month, so I hope families will stay engaged in the program.”

For more information about the Read20 Family Book Club visit www.tn.gov/read20, www.facebook.com/CrissyHaslam, follow @Read20TN on Twitter, or go to your local public library.