Buffalo, NY - City officials were pleased to honor Mayor Byron Brown's newest class of Champion Readers, who gathered at the Buffalo Niagara Convention Center today with their families as part of the 23rd Annual Reading Rules! Summer Reading Challenge. This year, nearly 1,700 students in grades K-12 successfully completed Mayor Brown's summer reading challenge. Nearly 30,000 Champion Readers have completed the challenge since 2006.

"Every year I am pleased with our champion readers who productively and wisely used their summer to prepare for the next school year," said Mayor Brown. "23 years and going strong, my summer reading challenge continues to help increase literacy in our community. It is critical that our youth continue to learn, even during the summer, and Reading Rules provides them with wonderful incentives to do just that."

Mayor Brown continued, "It's amazing how my Summer Reading Challenge has grown and evolved over the past two decades. As I continue to build an inclusive and equitable City of Buffalo, I want all of our youth to continue to strengthen their reading skills during the summer months. Once again, we partnered with the Buffalo Public Schools, with great support from the West Herr Automotive Group, in an effort to maximize the reading potential of our youth and encourage their developmental success. Nearly 30,000 students have completed my Summer Reading Challenge since I established this program, and they have discovered that reading can be fun, exciting, and rewarding! 20 minutes of reading per day can help increase literacy and a lifelong love for learning."

Participation in this year's program was open to any child in any public, parochial, private or charter school entering grades K-12 in any school district. Each child who successfully participated in Mayor Brown's Reading Rules! Kid's Summer Reading Challenge gained automatic entry into his deluxe raffle featuring great prizes donated by area businesses and cultural organizations, including Children's Books, Teen Literature, Books, Academic Supplies, Educational Prizes, Laptops, Bicycles, smartphones and more.

During the awards ceremony, Aitina Fareed-Cooke, Buffalo Poet Laureate and founder of Get Fokus'd Productions, presented a powerful poetic visual tribute, that coincided with the start of the new academic year in Buffalo. Produced, Directed and Written by Aitina Fareed-Cooke, and filmed and edited by Alex Rojé Felix of Earthbound Films, the heartfelt message aimed to empower and inspire students, parents, teachers, administrators, and community leaders to maximize their efforts in education and leadership. To watch the video, please use the following YouTube Link: https://youtu.be/W2_GWVbggvo.

The "Community Cast Members" featured a diverse group of Buffalo Public School teachers, parents, and students, including: Lisa Latempa, James Dubenion, Miles Williams, Rob "CarolinahBlu" Herrod, Christien Herrod, Chris Hufnagel, Gavin Hufnagel, Penelope Hufnagel, and David Paonessa. For more information, go to www.getfokusdproductions.com

Mayor Brown's Reading Rules Challenge is made possible through the generosity of the following sponsors and partners.

Presenting Sponsor

West Herr Automotive Group

Supporting Sponsors

Say Yes to Education Buffalo

Mayor Byron W. Brown and the City of Buffalo

Buffalo Public Schools

Breakfast and Beverage Sponsors

AT&T

Buffalo Bisons Charitable Foundation

Delaware North

Ingram Micro

Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center

Prize Station Sponsors

Buffalo Bills

Buffalo Sabres Foundation

Univera Healthcare

National Grid

Book Nook Sponsors

Best Self

Buffalo & Erie County Public Library

Buffalo Teachers Federation

Superhero Alliance

Tops Friendly Markets

Mister Pizza

Kids Activity Stations Sponsors

Legends

Buffalo AKG Art Museum

Bank on Buffalo

Highmark Western New York

Fidelis Care

Literacy Sponsors

Phillips Lytle LLP

Variety - The Children's Charity of Buffalo and WNY

In Kind Sponsors

Buffalo & Erie County Botanical Gardens

Wegmans

Project Flight

Andersons

Paula's Donuts

Mayor Brown started Reading Rules! in 2001 when he was a New York State Senator to help increase literacy in the Buffalo and Western New York area. During his tenure as Mayor, nearly 30,000 Champion Readers in Buffalo have completed the challenge since 2006.

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