CLEVELAND — There will be a free book for everyone at select RTA stations in Cleveland on Wednesday afternoon. Cleveland Reads has partnered with the RTA to hand books to passenger’s from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. as part of Mayor Justin Bibb’s initiative to increase literacy with a reading challenge to the entire city for 2023.
“Hey, if we’re going to ask people to read a million books and or to read for a million minutes, we want to make sure we put books into people’s hands,” said Jennifer Jumba, coordinator of The People’s University of the Cleveland Public Library. “What we hope to do is when you improve literacy levels in the community it opens doors for people, it helps in terms of better education, better job opportunities and improved health outcomes, and really makes the city stronger.”
Cleveland Reads has partnered with about 30 organizations to support and encourage more reading with programs like the Ride and Read.
“It’s a great partnership with the RTA that when people are reading that’s their time on their way home or work, they can just sit and read a book and escape for a little bit,” Jumba said.
“Public Transportation connects people to jobs, education, healthcare, businesses and other opportunities, reading opens doors to lifelong learning and success. So What a great opportunity to bring these two together for the Ride & Read event this Wednesday,” said Robert Fleig, Public Information Officer for the Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority. “Because ride and read allows our passengers to tune out the hustle and bustle of their daily travel while boosting literacy, what a win-win is that.”
Jumba also congratulated Cleveland on it’s progress in meeting Mayor Bibb’s challenge.
“Right now, we’ve read 2.8 million minutes together and about 126,000 books, so we’re not going to stop there and see how much we can improve by the end of the year," Jumba said.
The Ride & Read is just one of several programs this year to improve and promote more reading
Staff and volunteers from the Cleveland Public Library, GCRTA, and the Kids’ Book Bank will distribute free books and encourage riders to join the Cleveland Reads challenge. Books will be handed out at the Tower City, Stokes-Windermere, and West Park RTA stations.
“We know we have students that travel, so we have books for students, we have books for adults, we have non-fiction books, we have books for first-readers, we have books for middle-graders,” Jumba said. “Pretty much any passenger that steps on a train or rail Wednesday, we willl have a book just right for them.”
To encourage reading, Cleveland Reads and the RTA reminds riders that instead of scrolling, your commute can be a great time to capture more reading. They also encourage embracing ebooks and audiobooks, and to take a book wherever you go. Those who visit the Tower City location will enjoy live music from local artists, and Mayor Bibb is scheduled to be in attendance around 3 p.m.