Sarasota Housing Authority Hosts ‘Books & Badges’ with Sarasota Police and Local Families
Francesco Abbruzzino, The Uncensored Report, LLC
SPD
The Sarasota Police Department took part this week in the annual Books and Badges literacy event. Hosted by the Sarasota Housing Authority in partnership with the Book Rich Environments collaborative, and Sarasota County Libraries, Books and Badges will be held on Wednesday, July 14, 2021, at 10 a.m. to commemorate the Campaign for Grade Level Reading’s National Summer Learning Week.
This dual-purpose event will provide free books for low-income kids to read and mitigate against summer learning loss, as well as provide a positive interaction with Sarasota Police officers. Officers will hand out books to children to continue to foster relationships and trust between the Sarasota Police Department and families living in north Sarasota.
“Two of our core passions at the Sarasota Housing Authority are early childhood education and breaking down the trust walls between our families and local law enforcement. Books and Badges actually helps move the change needle on both issues and we can’t be more excited to bring this back to our community this year,” said William Russell, CEO of the Sarasota Housing Authority.
“This is an annual event our agency looks forward to every summer. This is an incredible opportunity for our officers and children to spend time with one another and continue to foster positive relationships over a love of reading,” said Chief Jim Rieser.
The event eatured Sarasota Police officers handing out books to children ages 3 to 17. Several hundred books will be handed out beginning at 10 a.m. at the Sarasota Housing Authority’s family public housing campus at 1912 North Orange Avenue, Sarasota.