New StoryWalk at El Camino Promotes Literacy, Health, and Community Engagement

City leaders and partners celebrated the grand opening of the new StoryWalk at El Camino with a ribbon cutting ceremony on Friday, May 31. 

A StoryWalk promotes literacy, health, and community engagement by taking the pages from an illustrated children’s book and displaying them sequentially along a walking route in the community or a trail. 

Mayor Malik D. Evans and City Council President Miguel Meléndez were joined by members of the Rochester Latino Rotary Club, Ibero-American Development Corporation, and the Genesee Land Trust for the celebration for the new StoryWalk along El Camino Trail.

“This StoryWalk will turn the experience of reading a book into an opportunity for children to play and have fun,” Evans said. “It pulls the pages out of a book and puts them out here in the world where children and their families interact with them and talk about them as they walk along the trail and discover each new page like a hidden treasure. So, thank you to all the partners and sponsors who made this project possible.” 

The new StoryWalk at the Thomas R. Frey Trail at El Camino disassembles the pages of an illustrated children’s book and displays them sequentially to promote literacy, physical activity, and family time together in nature. 

The Rochester Latino Rotary Club initiated the project to encourage families to spend time together while enjoying walking and reading to promote healthy habits and good literacy habits.

“Our hope is that families will enjoy reading the book pages together, develop walking as a healthy habit and create beautiful memories,” said Miríam Vazquez, literacy chair of the Rochester Latino Rotary Club. 

The Ibero Development Corp. and Genesee Land Trust also served as partners on the StoryWalk. The sponsors are Healthi Kids: A Common Ground Initiative, the Latino Giving Circle, M&T Bank, Key Bank, Eugenio Maria de Hostos Charter School, Wegmans and Burgos Income Tax. 

The first StoryWalk book is “Just Ask! Be Different, Be Brave, Be You” by Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor. Books will be rotated at the trail every 2-4 months.