Celebrating the grand opening of its Muskegon Heights Family Literacy Center next week, the nonprofit organization Read Muskegon will be joined by the Muskegon Lakeshore Chamber of Commerce and members of the Muskegon Heights community for a ribbon cutting ceremony.
Beginning at 11 a.m. on October 25, the ribbon cutting event will take place outside of the new literacy center, located at 26 E. Broadway in Muskegon Heights, and feature special guests that include Muskegon Heights Mayor Kimberly Sims and John Severson, Presidents of the Muskegon Area Independent School District, for a ribbon cutting ceremony.
With a mission to "increase the quality of life in Muskegon County through improved literacy," the new Muskegon Heights Family Literacy Center will act as a countywide hub for literacy that focuses on providing programming for adult and family literacy, such as classes to increase job readiness, early literacy, and English language skills.
Other services include one-on-one tutoring sessions, literacy-based play and learn groups for low literacy parents and children ages 0-5, a six-week long literacy-based healthy cooking workshop for parents and children ages 0-5, drop-in literacy lab tutoring, and a family reading corner.
Though the literacy center has been hosting some of the new programming in the space throughout its summer-long interior renovation, Read Muskegon President Melissa Moore says next week's event not only marks the official grand opening of the literacy center, but also a larger milestone for the misunderstood and underutilized commercial corridors of downtown Muskegon Heights.
As the first organization to partner with the Muskegon Heights Downtown Development Authority, Moore says by moving its programs and administrative offices to the new downtown site, Read Muskegon also brings along its volunteers and partners, which allows them to see the city and its emerging opportunities firsthand.
"Opening a literacy center that is accessible to many of our learners with the most critical needs has been at the core of Read Muskegon's long-term planning," Moore says. "We are excited about all of the opportunities that relocating to the heart of the Muskegon Heights downtown brings with it."
The Muskegon Heights Family Literacy Center is open to the public from 10 a.m. - 2 p.m. on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, and from noon - 4 p.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays.
For more information on Read Muskegon, the Muskegon Heights Family Literacy Center, or the October 25 ribbon cutting, visit Read Muskegon online or find the organization here on Facebook.
Written by Anya Zentmeyer, Development News Editor
Images courtesy of Read Muskegon
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