Imagine a public library next to a 24-acre park that includes a walking trail lined with displays that bring to life a child’s book, then visit the Seffner Comm“UNITY” Park and Gardens for a ‘StoryWalk’ experience maintained by the Kiwanis Club of Greater Brandon.
That’s where kids and adults gathered on June 15 for a ribbon-cutting to celebrate the third of five StoryWalk locations in Hillsborough County, an expansion funded by a $70,000 emerging need grant through the Children’s Board of Hillsborough County. The grant is for Kiwanis StoryWalk locations in Seffner, Carrollwood Village Park and, coming soon, Ruskin and Sulphur Springs.
The funding follows the grand opening two years ago of StoryWalk at Al Lopez Park in Tampa, funded by the Kiwanis Club of Tampa and spearheaded by club member and Kiwanian Amanda Malinowski.
“The goal of this project is to bring books to where kids are, make reading fun and put it in a new environment where families can read and walk and be active and work on their literacy skills,” Malinowski said. “We want kids to love books and that’s our goal.”
Markers along the Kiwanis StoryWalk trail in Seffner on June 15 included an overview of that month’s featured book, Can You Make a Scary Face by Jan Thomas. It’s noted that books for children ages 3-7 change monthly, and that the .3-mile walk takes 15 minutes to complete.
Starting at the park’s gazebo, the walk features 18 spots in a circular route. The park is adjacent to the Seffner-Mango Branch Library, located at 410 N. Kingsway Rd.
At the ribbon-cutting was Malinowski’s 6-year-old daughter, Olivia.
“She’s my demographic,” Malinowski said. “If she likes the book, it’s going to be successful. She is the stamp of approval, the kid approval, so it’s become something very near and dear to my heart.”
StoryWalk efforts in Hillsborough County reflect a partnership between Kiwanis and the Children’s Board, and a collaborative effort among clubs to support literacy and exercise. The Tampa club organizes the initial setups for partnering Kiwanis clubs to maintain and switch out monthly, including the Kiwanis Club of SouthShore, which will oversee the StoryWalk at the Ruskin Park and Recreation Center, located at 901 6th Street SE in Ruskin.
“Anybody who has any sort of affinity toward helping kids and the community, Kiwanis is perfect,” said Nate Goldenberg, president of the Brandon Kiwanis club. “One of the reasons I joined Kiwanis is that it’s one of the groups you can roll up your sleeves and get out and do the volunteering.”
At the ribbon-cutting were members of the Key Club at Armwood High School in Seffner. Key Club is a student-led high school organization that works in partnership with local Kiwanis clubs. Also on hand was Dexter Lewis, a graduate of Hillsborough County Public Schools and director of public relations for the Children’s Board.
“Thank you to Kiwanis for being a great partner, helping us encourage literacy throughout the county,” Lewis said. “Literacy is one of our main focuses at the Children’s Board. We are a local founder of nonprofits that support the health and well-being of children and families in Hillsborough County.”
