Literacy and health came together with the completion of Rowan County’s second StoryWalk

From the Salisbury Post
By Karen Kistler

Cleveland, NC – Literacy and health came together with the completion of Rowan County’s second StoryWalk.

To celebrate the occasion, the community gathered to honor Creek Week for the Rowan Reads StoryWalk ribbon cutting ceremony. The event, which was held Sept. 18 at the Danny Gabriel Memorial Veteran Park in Cleveland, kicked off with the West Rowan Ukulele Club performing, followed by several speakers, vendors on the field and an opportunity for visitors to walk the trail and see the story boards.

Cleveland Mayor Pat Phifer addresses the crowd at the ribbon cutting. – Karen Kistler | Photo Courtesy of the Salisbury Post

Benson Sumner of Cleveland and his grandmother “Mimi” Susan Milby of Salisbury were two of those who did so as they stopped at one of the boards, which provided some exercises to do, and Sumner made sure he did each one.

He said he had fun at the event and enjoys reading. Milby noted that his older sister is reading “Dragon Master” to him every night.

“Today is such a special day for West Rowan Elementary and the Town of Cleveland,” said Dr. April Williamson, principal at the school.

During her speech to the crowd, she expressed her gratitude at being able to “celebrate something that will bring our students, families and community together for years to come.”

Each speaker took the opportunity to thank the various partnerships formed that worked and supported the effort and made the StoryWalk a success including the Rowan County Public Health Department, the Rowan County Literacy Council, the town of Cleveland and Mayor Pat Pheifer. Williamson also noted the Julian Robertson Foundation and Miriam and Robert Hayes through the Cannon Foundation.

“Your generosity and commitment to health, wellness and literacy are making a meaningful difference to our community,” she said.

All of the students from West Rowan Elementary School, totaling 634, said Christine Brown Auman, finance officer with the Town of Cleveland, had the opportunity to go through the walk on the day of the ribbon cutting.

Williamson thanked the volunteers who helped with this endeavor “welcoming every single one of our students,” and making the day special for the Wildcats.

She shared in her speech that the “StoryWalk is a beautiful example of both unity and legacy,” two ideas she said they have been talking about a lot this year, noting that unity means coming together for a common purpose and the leaders, organizations, volunteers, educators and families have done just that to “create something wonderful for our children.”

As for legacy, she said that is what we leave behind for others, and this path will be there for children in later years to enjoy the stories and make memories with their families.”because of what this community came together to create.”

Cleveland Mayor Pat Phifer served as emcee for the special occasion and next introduced Alyssa Harris, public health director, who shared her appreciation of all the work done to get them to this point and those who came to celebrate.

She noted that the first book on the trail is titled “You Are the Seed,” which, she said, is a story about growth, potential and “every child having something in them worth nurturing. And that idea of planting seeds early is really at the heart of what we do in public health.”

Creating habits at an early age such as movement, reading, being outside and having a curiosity about the world are “habits that stick with us for a lifetime,” she said. “And we’re not trying to hand people a finished healthy lifestyle, we’re trying to plant the seed early enough so that it has time to grow.”

Harris added that the walk not only helps people be active, but it builds community.

Noting the importance of families reading together, she said that is what Health Rowan is all about and explained that “Health Rowan is our community coalition and that coalition believes that health lives inside of all of us and outside the health department building. It’s in trails and libraries and partnerships between people who might not otherwise sit at the same table. And that’s how this StoryWalk came to be and how it’s a real lasting change for our community.”

She concluded by thanking Phifer, for his support and Amy Smith from the health department who helped bring the trail from idea to reality and thanked Christina Rary, executive director of the Rowan Literacy Council, as she noted that the project from the council “doesn’t simply happen without that partnership between health and literacy.”

Williamson said the StoryWalk is more than a place to read, but it’s “an opportunity to build stronger readers, encourage healthy habits and bring our families closer together,” adding that it is her hope the students remember this special day not just for the fact that they participated in a ribbon cutting, “but because they saw what can happen when people come together and invest in something bigger than themselves.”

Phifer returned to the stage and encouraged everyone to look around and see all those who had played a huge part in the event, sharing that they would be there again on Nov. 11 on Veterans Day.

When speaking about the special event, Phifer said, “it’s a group. It’s a lot of collaboration, a lot of people and everybody that has been involved and named have given more than 100 percent.

He concluded the ceremony by telling the crowd that “it’s always a good day in Cleveland,” he said, “and it’s great to be from….” he paused as he waited on the crowd to finish with “West Rowan.”

He then had all the students in attendance help him count down as multiple moved over to cut the ribbon after which he invited everyone to walk around and see the park.

Auman likewise expressed thanks to the health department and literacy council and said eight months ago when they were presented with the idea of the walk, “the thought for us was that 47.5 percent of the children in Rowan County are living in poverty and 64 percent are not active,” she said, “and we thought what if we partner with you all and we created a story walk and a trail right next to the library and bring books to life.”

When asked what it means to them to have another StoryWalk, she said, “another community coming together, many different parts to make this work,” as she mentioned the nearby elementary school, the libraries giving input for the books that represented the town and help from the maintenance department.

“It’s just been a beautiful thing to see so many different people rallying around our kids and our families deserve opportunities to read and move their bodies. I’m proud and excited.”

The council will be changing the books monthly and sharing the themes of the books with the schools, she said, thereby incorporating additional learning.

The location of the StoryWalk “could not be more perfect,” said Rary, noting the walkable track and the close proximity to the library and the elementary school and how families can come and enjoy it.