Fort Lauderdale, Fla. – In the past for Father’s Day, the nonprofit Reading Pays More organization has highlighted the importance of parents reading with their children via a social media campaign called #lovereadingwithdad.

The group has encouraged dads, granddads and uncles of all ages to share a picture of themselves reading a book with a child using the hashtag #lovereadingwithdad.

“We want to spread the word that reading together is not only fundamental, but it also helps create a strong parental bond,” said Georgia Robinson, president of Reading Pays More. “And it is especially important for parents to read with their young boys.”

This year the ask of fathers is even more relevant in light of the George Floyd tragedy.

“We often mark and honor solemn events with a moment of silence,” said Robinson. “This Father’s Day, June 21, 2020, our organization is committed to honoring the 8 minutes and 46 seconds in which Mr. George Floyd tragically lost his life, through a positive call to action.

“We are asking Dads and father figures across the globe to share the experience of reading with a young person to encourage the love of reading.” The specific details:

What: Read to a child/children for 8 minutes and 46 seconds in Celebration of Father’s Day and in Honor of George Floyd.

How: Take a picture or video of yourself reading with the child/children before or on Father’s Day and post it on all your social media with the Hashtag #lovereadingwithdad. You can also post it to the organization’s Facebook Page facebook.com/ReadingPaysMore/ or our Instagram page @Reading-paysmore.

Why: To encourage the bond between fathers and father figures and children, nurture a love of reading, and help with the “coronavirus learning slide.” The latter is akin to the “summer slide” which represents the learning deficit in reading skills that children generally experience during the summer months.

“Thank you in advance for your contribution to a better world for all our children,” said Robinson, who works in one of the lowest income communities in Broward County, sees firsthand how low reading skills negatively affect the residents, and serves her community as a reading ambassador. “Knowledge is power and employment in today’s information/knowledge-based economy.”

For other information about Readinginfo@reading-PaysMore, email paysmore.com.