The City of Boca Raton's Public Library has been selected as the winner of the City Spirit Award for the Florida Municipal Achievement Awards from the Florida League of Cities for the Story Walk program. The City Spirit award recognizes a single, specific citywide effort to successfully address a local need.
In March 2020, the grim realization of the COVID-19 pandemic and the kind of impact it would have on our community started to settle in. That month, the City of Boca Raton issued a Stay Home, Stay Safe Order in accordance with the County and State to limit nonessential travel. This forced City facilities including libraries, parks and community centers to close. Departments and Divisions city-wide started to have conversations about what the future of programs and services could potentially look like for our residents, one department being the Boca Raton Public Library. The team quickly understood the need for activities for families outdoors while trying to continue the educational programming they were always known for. The result was the Storywalk Program – an innovative way for children, and adults, to enjoy reading and the outdoors at the same time.
The Story Walk program was made possible by a partnership between Boca Raton Public Library staff, the Friends of the Boca Raton Public Library and Palm Beach County Environmental Resources Management Department.
For more information about the award, read Florida League of Cities press release. For more information about the program, read the City's award submission.
Learn more about the StoryWalks on the Library website.
From left to right (back row):
- Lee Lietzke, Environmental Analyst, Palm Beach County Environmental Resource Management
- Jacey Biery, Senior Environmental Analyst, Palm Beach County Environmental Resource Management
- Ray Griffin, Maintenance Worker, Boca Raton Public Library
From left to right (front row):
- Mayor Scott Singer, City of Boca Raton
- Michael Kalvort, CPRE, Recreation Services Director, City of Boca Raton
- Amanda Liebl, Events and Community Engagement Coordinator, Boca Raton Public Library
- Shilo Perlman, Library Assistant III, Boca Raton Public Library
- Susan Heim, Administration, Boca Raton Public Library
- Ellen Randolph, Library Manager, Boca Raton Public Library
- Tracy Wasserman, President, Friends of the Boca Raton Public Library
