FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 29, 2024
Birmingham Park and Recreation Department plays key role in Better Basics Reads, city-wide read-alouds in all schools this week
To honor the memory of literacy advocate and former Better Basics Board President Kevin Sutton, the group has coordinated distribution of over 30,000 books in the last five years
Thousands of Birmingham students will experience a synchronous literacy event hosted by Better Basics and made possible by the collaboration of community partners, school administrators, hundreds of guest readers, and Birmingham Park and Recreation.
Since 2019, Birmingham Park and Rec has contributed to local education nonprofit Better Basics in a big way. Better Basics’ annual read-aloud event, Better Basics Reads, will occur in schools across Birmingham on May 2. All 10,885 pre-k through fifth-grade students in Birmingham City Schools will receive a copy of the book read by their guest reader. Those books need to be transported to schools across our city before the big day, and that is where Park and Rec steps up.
The origins of this service project and participation by Park and Rec began with Phyllis Sutton, wife of the late Kevin Sutton. Mrs. Sutton sought a way to honor the legacy of her husband, the former Fire Chief of Fairfield and Better Basics Board President from 2014-15. Chief Sutton was well-known and loved by many. On April 30, 2017, he died in a tragic accident. His family actively carries on his work of advancing educational opportunities for children. Following in her father’s footsteps, Tabathia Norman serves on the Better Basics Junior Board.
Tab says, “I cannot think of a better way to honor my dad’s legacy than by continuously advocating for and positively impacting our community, especially through literacy efforts. He taught me and so many of us how to show up in bigger ways in the world and inspired us to do so. This is why I am so honored to follow in his footsteps at Better Basics. Dad and I both believe strongly in its mission to help eradicate illiteracy among ALL children.”
On April 30, exactly seven years from the day we lost Chief Sutton, a Park and Rec team of 15 will deliver all 10,885 books across 27 Birmingham City Schools. The employees will meet at Better Basics’ office at 7:30 am. The team will gather the hundreds of white boxes lining the office hallways. These white shirt boxes are filled with grade-level specific books sorted by school and classroom. The task requires immense organization, detailed routing, and a visit to each school’s front office.
The City of Birmingham’s motto of “Putting People First” applies throughout all departments, as shown by Park and Recreation’s participation in this important community-wide literacy event. The success of this impactful initiative lies in the collaboration of our city, schools, and community partners.
To learn more about Better Basics, visit http://www.betterbasics.org/reads
Better Basics is a Birmingham, Alabama non-profit organization promoting children’s reading and mathematics literacy. Better Basics delivers a comprehensive range of research-based intervention and enrichment programs to children from birth to 18 years in Central Alabama through collaboration with public schools, partners, and community organizations in underserved areas. We also provide books and literacy outreach services directly to Birmingham communities. Better Basics is an agency of the United Way of Central Alabama.