In partnership with the Chesapeake Bay Foundation and the Washington Nationals, Montgomery County Public Libraries is thrilled to announce the conclusion of a wildly successful 2022 Summer Reading Challenge!
MCPL is grateful to The Friends of the Library, Montgomery County, MD and the CBF for their support of this partnership, and is very pleased that our young readers have made a tangible, positive impact on the local environment through their reading efforts. As one family enthused, “We loved that this year, the mission is all about the bay and how to help keep it clean and healthy. What a fantastic idea!”
This summer, 12,958 children and teens ages 0-17 participated, and enthusiastically embraced the challenge to Save the Chesapeake Bay. As a result of participants completing Mission One, the FOLMC supported the CBF in planting 500 trees along the waterways of the Chesapeake Bay watershed. The completion of Mission Two by children and teens enabled the FOLMC and the CBF to plant 250,000 oysters into the Bay. The completion of Mission Three resulted in the restoration of healthy wildlife habitats throughout the Watershed.
Our nearly 13,000 participants went home with a complementary book, and participated in a packed calendar of almost 200 programs to complete the missions. We welcomed singers, magicians, storytellers, crafters, dancers, scientists, teachers and more to lead us in a wave of water-centered activities, from backyard puddles to streams, the Chesapeake Bay to the Atlantic Ocean. And don’t forget the creatures who live in our bodies of water — we learned lots about them, too!
Oceans of Possibilities Summer Reading Challenge! participants can keep the reading momentum going this fall with MCPL programs like 1000 Books Before Kindergarten, reading lists for every grade level, and events like book groups. We hope to see you back at the library soon, and of course, we look forward to seeing you again next summer for another reading adventure!