Ten Muhlenberg Job Corps students dressed in costumes of beloved Dr. Seuss characters and headed to the Greenville Courthouse March 2nd to promote a love of reading among area pre-school children and their families. The students’ efforts were in support of the SOAR: Early Childhood Education program’s annual Read Across America Day celebration.

The annual Read Across America Day initiative was started by the National Education Association in 1998 and has been held every year since. The NEA recognizes that reading is an important skill, and the more one reads, the better that individual performs in school.

The local SOAR program focused this year on providing strategies, opportunities, advantages and resources for preschool aged children and their families in Muhlenberg County.

Vicki Yonts, program manager of the SOAR: Early Childhood Education program, funded by the Felix E. Martin Jr. Foundation, said the program works to ensure that children are ready for kindergarten and encourages children to establish a habit of reading that will positively impact their entire lives.

The Muhlenberg Job Corps students who supported the local Read Across America Day event include Tyler Flora, Deomi Holloway, Dillian Williams, Thomas Murray, Darnelle Johnson, Keshaun Wilson, Jordyn Murphy, Tishawn Simpson, Corena Stanley and Tina Foulton.