HomeMy WebLinkAbout26-142RESOLUTION NO.26-142
A RESOLUTION RECOGNIZING THE NEW WORLDS READING PROGRAM AND
COMMENDING THE VANDUZER FOUNDATION IN ST. LUCIE COUNTY, FLORIDA
WHEREAS, the Board of County Commissioners of St. Lucie County, Florida, has made the following
determinations:
1. Literacy is a foundational building block for the future success of the children of St. Lucie County, and
reading proficiency by the third grade is one of the strongest predictors of a student's long-term academic
achievement and graduation.
2. The VanDuzer Foundation, a St. Lucie County -based charitable organization, has implemented the Read
to Succeed program and has, to date, placed more than 42,000 books directly into the hands of St. Lucie
County students.
3. The New Worlds Reading Initiative is a statewide, home -delivered literacy program created and funded
by the Florida Legislature and administered in partnership with the Florida Department of Education,
the University of Florida Lastinger Center for Learning, and Scholastic, established to help Florida's
children build the reading skills and confidence needed to succeed.
4. The VanDuzer Foundation seeks to promote this statewide effort locally by helping to connect eligible
St. Lucie County children in VPK through fifth grade, who have tested below grade level in reading,
with free books and literacy resources mailed directly to their homes at no cost to their families.
5. Through the New Worlds Reading Initiative, nine (9) books and accompanying literacy activities are
delivered each school year to the home of every eligible child who has tested below grade level, ensuring
continued access to books throughout the school year.
6. Families are able to select books suited to their child's own interests and grade level, spanning both
fiction and nonfiction titles, in order to build reading confidence and foster a lifelong love of reading.
7. Approximately eighty percent (80%) of Florida's public and charter school students in VPK through fifth
grade qualify for the New Worlds Reading Initiative on the basis of having tested below grade level in
reading at some point, with no income requirement to participate.
8. These books and reading materials are made available in English, Spanish, and Haitian Creole, and are
also offered in braille for students who are blind or visually impaired, ensuring the program is accessible
to the diverse children and families of our community.
9. The Board of County Commissioners of St. Lucie County wishes to recognize The VanDuzer
Foundation for its continued dedication to childhood literacy and its commitment to placing books in
the hands and homes of the children of St. Lucie County.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the Board of County Commissioners of St. Lucie County,
Florida, does hereby recognize the New Worlds Reading Program and commends The VanDuzer
Foundation for its outstanding contribution to literacy and the well-being of the children of our community
in St. Lucie County, Florida.
AT'I
BY:
PASSED AND DULY ADOPTED this 4th day of August 2026.
BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS
LUCIE C RI A
C
OVED Ali T F RM & CORRECTNESS:
COUNTY ATTORNEY