2011 PRESS RELEASES

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March 11, 2011
PARTICIPANTS IN AGRICULTURE LITERACY WEEK MARCH 13 – 19 RANGE FROM SECRETARY OF AGRICULTURE TO ANNIE THE READING DOG
Contact:  Elaine Lidholm, 804.786.7686

The Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (VDACS) will celebrate Virginia Agriculture Week and Agriculture Literacy Week by reading to children in pre-school through the third grade at public and private schools throughout the state. State officials, staff and Board members from VDACS, Farm Bureau members, private citizens and Annie the Reading dog will visit elementary schools to read Ready, Set, GROW!, a book on Virginia agriculture, and provide other activities on Virginia agricultural products.

VDACS readers include:

• March 14, 15 and 17, Dinwiddie Elementary and March 16, Southside Elementary in Dinwiddie – VDACS staff member Deb Hargrave will read to and teach kindergarteners the afternoon of the 14th, second graders late morning through the afternoon on the15th and first graders the morning of the 17th at Dinwiddie Elementary; she will teach 1st graders on March 16th at Southside. In addition to reading Ready, Set, GROW!, she will offer hands-on lessons on seeds, peanuts and apples.

• March 14, Tuckahoe Elementary, 701 Forest Avenue, Richmond (Henrico County) 23229 – Charles Green, Director of the Division of Marketing at VDACS, will read Ready, Set, GROW! to 3rd graders. Later in the month he will read to children at Trinity UMC Pre-school.

• March 14, 2 p.m., Tidewater Academy, Rolfe Hwy., Dendron, 23839 – Paul Rogers, chair of the Virginia Board of Agriculture and Consumer Services, will read to fourth graders.

• March 15, 9:15 to 11 a.m., William Fox Elementary School, 2300 Hanover Ave., Richmond, 23220 – Matt Lohr, VDACS Commissioner, will join Annie the Reading Dog for a program about Virginia agriculture, using Ready, Set, GROW! and other resources. The children will read to Annie and then she will do tricks.

• March 15, 12 noon to 1 p.m., St. Bridget School, 6011 York Road, Richmond, 23226 – Secretary of Agriculture and Forestry Todd P. Haymore will read Ready, Set GROW! to kindergarten classes during their social studies class time.

• March 15, 10 a.m., Grace Covenant Child Development Center, 1627 Monument Ave., Richmond 23220 – Dr. Charles Broaddus, a VDACS veterinarian, will read to the three-and-four-year-old preschool class.

• March 16, 8:30 and 11 a.m. and 2 p.m., Rural Retreat Elementary School, Martha Debord Way, Rural Retreat, 24368 – VDACS employee Melinda Stuart will read to all three third grade classes and will provide activities about peanuts, horses and the map of Virginia.

• March 17, 11 a.m. to noon, South Boston Elementary School, 2320 Parker Avenue, South Boston 24592 – Commissioner Lohr and state Delegate James Edmonds will read to third graders and have lunch with them at the school along with members of the local Farm Bureau office.

• March 17, 1:20 p.m., Bellwood Elementary School, 9536 Dawnshire Road, Richmond, 23237 (Chesterfield County) – Dr. Richard Wilkes, State Veterinarian, and staff veterinarian Dr. Rachel Touroo will read to first and second graders.

• March 18, 9 to 10 a.m., Randolph Elementary School, 1552 Sheppard Town Road, Crozier 23039 – Steve Bostick from Farm Bureau will read to the second grade class assisted by Ed Fleming, member of the Virginia Board of Agriculture and Consumer Services.

• March 18, 8:45 to 11 a.m., Lacey Spring Elementary School, 8621 North Valley Pike, Harrisonburg 22802 – Join Matt Lohr, VDACS Commissioner, as he reads Ready, Set, GROW! to all kindergarten classes and other works to the fourth grade classes.

• March 18, 2:30 p.m., Hopkins Road Elementary School, 6000 Hopkins Road, Richmond (Chesterfield County), 23234 – VDACS staff member Rebecca Askew will read to first and second graders.

In addition to VDACS personnel, staff from Ag in the Classroom will read to the following elementary schools in the city of Richmond and Chesterfield County:
Monday, March 14 – 9 to 10:30, Francis and 1:30 to 2 p.m., George Mason
Tuesday, March 15 – 9:30 to 10:30, Bellevue and 10 to 11 a.m., Swansboro
Wednesday March 16 – 11:45 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., Evergreen (Chesterfield County)
Thursday March 17 – 10 to 11 a.m., Fisher and 2 to 3 p.m., Broad Rock *

For an updated reading schedule, see www.vdacs.virginia.gov/news/agweek11.shtml. For a list of participating Farm Bureau offices, see www.agintheclass.com/Volunteers/Pages/LiteracyWeekParticipants.aspx.

* Secretary of Education Gerard Robinson is scheduled to join in this event.