Bishop Dewane read You Are Special by Max Lucado to the delight of the children. The Summer Reading Challenge is funded through the generosity of the The Patterson Foundation  and is part of the Suncoast Campaign for Grade-Level Reading. 

The reading challenge takes place for nine weeks and 26 kindergarten to fifth grade students signed up for the program this summer at the farm worker community. The campers receive a wristband for the number of books completed and activities are coordinated to go with the reading materials for each day. 

"For every book they read they get a color bracelet. When they read 20 books, they get a rainbow colored bracelet," said Catholic Charities Program Coordinator Clara Alvarez. " On average each child will read about 30 books during the summer camp."

Research shows that children who do not read during the summer can lose up to three months of reading progress and that the loss has a cumulative, long-term effect on them. But reading just six books, at the appropriate reading level, over the summer can prevent that "summer slide" and keep a struggling reader from regressing. In response, the Suncoast Campaign for Grade-Level Reading sponsors a Suncoast Summer Reading Challenge to encourage each participating student to read at least six books, at their appropriate reading level, over the summer months.

The University of Florida's Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) Extension Office of Nutrition partnered with the AFCAAM of Catholic Charities After-School Reading Program for the 2019 Summer Camp. The theme this year was gardening and nutrition.

The older grade-school campers read the story Seed Folks by Paul Fleischman about how a simple seed started people coming together for the beautification of a community. The younger children read The Green Place by Ashley Yazdani which is the story of Central Park in New York and the need for people to have green space and connect to earth.

This summer the children planted seeds and grew flowers in the back of the AFCAAM of Catholic Charities building. They tasted new foods and visited Southern Fresh Farm where many were excited to see and pet a cow for the very first time. The children also toured the Edison Estate where they saw the gorgeous vegetation from orchids to a very old Banyan tree on the premises. The campers also experienced a guided tour of Six Mile Slough and learned how to respect preserved land and nature while viewing many animals and plants that are native to Florida.

The summer camp also included a diverse group of presenters who worked with and entertained the children such as musicians, artists and crafters. One special guest was famed local artist David Acevedo who helped the children make canvas paintings which they proudly took home.