The Quaker Oats Company, Scholastic and Sesame Workshop
are coming together to make reading fundamental by holding the First Annual Akidemics/Fundamentals
Program to be held on Today (Nov.9). The purpose of this program is to create
the desire to read and helps children to discover that inside of each book is
a new adventure.
Over 400 children are in store to be treated
to a day of reading and entertainment by members of the industry. Scheduled
to host the event is Dejavu of Power 105. Other participants include Doug E.
Fresh, who will read and perform his book/CD, “Think Again” from the
new Scholastic “Hip Kid Hop” series.
Other celebrity readers include Donovan Patton
of Blues Clues (Nickelodeon), Marcella Kroll (BET’s Teen Summit), Napiera
Groves (As The World Turns), Ed Lover (Power 105.1), and Vanessa Tyler (WB11).
Irene Smalls (Author/Historian), Gerald K. Malcolm (Poet), and Odette Russell
(Kinte Kids) will read and perform stories and poems with historical and cultural
themes.
Also scheduled is a special performance by 10-year
old rap artist Freequan, who wrote “Missing,” which addresses the
missing children crisis in America.
Akidemics is an annual project that identifies
the problems affecting children in urban communities and, in turn, provides
solutions in the form of three programs: Fundamentals, Classifieds and Commencement.
These programs work to enhance educational skills, aid in developing college/career
goals and instill positive social ideas.
The attending children will receive Akidemics
Participation Certificates, as well as gift bags filled with books, educational
materials and an Official Akidemics T-shirt. The T-shirts and gift bags are
being provided courtesy of Enyce.
Official sponsors supporting this program are:
The Quaker Oats Company, Nickelodeon, Little Brown & Company, Scholastic,
Sesame Workshop, Random House, Hershey’s, Enyce & Lady Enyce, The New
York Urban League, Weed & Seed, Kinte Kids, Boom Digital and Coca-Cola.
