Paper snails were stacked up on an entry table at Mt. Moriah Missionary Baptist Church. They were just one of many art projects the students of the Lots of Hugs Reading Summer Program completed in the past two months. Last week, they were busy coloring more pictures, learning how to spell in a competitive game and preparing for a special trip to Legoland Florida.
The program is for at-risk youth from ages 5 to 12 whose parents can’t afford to put them in a traditional daycare. Lots of Hugs is funded by Unity in the Community, Lazydays and Rooms To Go and allows students to keep up their school lessons for just $75 for the whole summer. The program runs from from 7:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. June 9 to Aug. 8.
“Some of the parents work late, most are single parents,” organizer Sharon Moody said. “This helps them out.”
This is the fourth year for the program. Moody has 80 registered students and a staff of six, all who have worked in the school system before.
“It’s great, because instead of them staying home and getting in trouble, they retain what they learned during the school year,” Moody said.
And keeping up their reading isn’t the only benefit. Moody serves them two hot meals and a snack every day. This year alone, she has cooked 10,000 meals.
“Some might not get to eat again,” Moody said. “Some of them go home and don’t get a good meal.”
Moody designed the program to have field trips, as well. They toured Lazydays and Stingray Chevrolet, and stops at the Florida Aquarium and Legoland get them out of town.
And they don’t just go to people. People come to them. Local Girl Scouts troops have come to talk to them about bullying. Lynn Helm Stick Ministry comes every Tuesdays to teach them choreography for their end-of-the-year concert on Aug. 7.
There they will show off their skills and what they learned over the summer to parents and the public. Awards will be given and the students also will receive some school supplies.
“I really think they enjoy coming down here,” Moody said. “A lot of them like to come to you hoping for a lot of attention. You try and engage them and encourage them.”
Contact Amber Jurgensen at ajurgensen@plantcityobserver.com.
IF YOU GO
Lots of Hugs Summer Reading Program Concert
WHEN: 6:30 p.m., Aug. 7
WHERE: Mt. Moriah Missionary Baptist Church’s old sanctuary, 911 E. Warren St.
DONATIONS: To donate to the Lots of Hugs Summer Reading Program, call Sharon Moody at (813) 453-7134.
BY THE NUMBERS
$5,000: The amount Lazydays donated
$2,220: The amount Unity in the Community donated
$1,000: The amount Rooms To Go donated