Lansing Loves to Read’s continued literacy initiatives

With the colder weather headed our way, it’s good to know there are still ways to have fun while being safe outdoors, like Lansing’s Story Walk.

The Story Walk, located behind Scoop’s ice cream on the Murdock Spur loop of the Lansing Center Trail, is an interactive outdoor storybook created in 2016 by Lansing Loves to Read (LLTR) in conjunction with the Lansing Pathways volunteers.

Lisa Campbell, one of the founding members of LLTR, was kind enough to show me around Lansing’s Story Walk.

“This is one of my favorite things that we’ve done,” she said. “The Story Walk is just so simple and powerful. … But what’s neat about the Story Walk too is that it’s for everyone.”

The Story Walk was adopted by the Family Reading Partnership earlier this year, and Campbell described how the transition was beneficial to both organizations.

“They were really happy because we had it ready to go, so really all they have to do is put the stories up, so it’s a really great partnership,” she said.

LLTR was created in 2013 by a small group of local parents who wanted to do more to support children’s literacy in the community. With support from many residents, LLTR members reached out to key institutions in Lansing, including the schools, the Town Board and the Lansing Community Library, to form mutually beneficial partnerships.

In addition to creating the reading walk, LLTR has hosted many programs since its inception, including Summer Reading Buddies, Zero to Three Jubilee, Reading Camp, Our Favorite Stories, Summer Story Time, the placement and upkeep of book baskets and shelves throughout the community and more.

Campbell emphasized the importance of community for the organization and its main goals of trying to get children out into the community and allowing a space for families to meet one another.

“We just had an explosion of community ideas, so we were doing so many things simultaneously,” she said.

Keeping that momentum going, LLTR was awarded the 2018 Empire State Center for the Book Literacy Award at the New York State Writers Hall of Fame Induction for its work providing literacy initiatives to the rural Lansing community.

While the past 18 months have proven difficult for all, LLTR has continued to provide programming, though not at the same level as previously.

“Last year, we tried to do our Summer Reading Buddy program — which has been really important for kids that were referred from the elementary school to combat the summer slide — we tried to offer that via Zoom,” Campbell explained. “We didn’t have a lot of takers, but we had a couple of volunteers working with children meeting via Zoom. So, I’m glad that we did that. I think that we learned from it. … So, it’s not to say that down the road we might not have the traditional model of sitting side by side with reading buddy and yet offer Zoom as well because transportation is a barrier for a lot of families.”

Campbell also spoke to the positives that virtual programming and new ways of thinking have created for LLTR and other literacy and education initiatives.

“I think probably a lot of people in community services and education are seeing the things that they can do that are actually a plus during a very dark time,” Campbell said.

Though Campbell said she is unsure what all programming can return as the pandemic continues, she said she hopes reading buddies will be back and that Summer Storytime is a must for summer 2022.

“I’m really hoping that life returns to the place where we’re doing that again because that was well-received,” she said. “We’d always have somebody do music, we’d do baby yoga, we did baby sign language, [and] we tried to introduce families to all kinds of healthy opportunities with their little ones.”

LLTR is currently, and always, looking for new volunteers to help keep programs running, as well as help in the brainstorming, planning and implementation of other programs and events.

“We could use some more volunteers for the Summer Reading Buddies program and just to brainstorm and bring new excitement because that’s what we’ve always done,” Campbell said. “We’ve taken from the community like, ‘What do you want to do?’ So, we’re hoping to get some new volunteers in. We’re very casual, we’re flexible and we can meet via email threads and texts and phone calls and outdoors.”

And in a time that continues to be often cold and dark, Campbell explained the significance of community for families and children right now.

“Because of the generosity of our community, we were able to give the children kites this year,” she said. “In the past, we’ve been able to send kids … brand-new books. We like to use gently used books — we believe in that — but from a self-esteem and mental health place, a new book is important.”

Those looking to get involved or learn more can contact the organization at LansingLovesToRead@gmail.com.

“Our power is in people,” Campbell said. “And I think it has brought our community together in some ways because everybody can participate. There’s no one who can’t. There’s always something you can do, whether it be donate a gently used book or read at a storytime. I just think that’s neat when you can do something like that. … We make it simple; it’s part of our success that people feel a little more welcome. There’s not this, sit down at a meeting at a table. You can bring your energy and bring your ideas and let’s see if we can make it happen.”