Take a StoryWalk in the park now in Carrollwood Village Park

The Kiwanis Club of Tampa has once again expanded its StoryWalk Project, now adding the page-by-page sign installation at Carrollwood Village Park

By MIKE CAMUNAS, Tampa Beacon

CARROLLWOOD — The park is the perfect place to relax and read a book.

Now, visitors to Carrollwood Village Park don’t even need to bring one if they want to do some reading.

The Kiwanis Club of Tampa recently finished installing its fifth StoryWalk in the 40-acre park — with 18 stops/signs along the paved paths that loop throughout CVP.

“Our hope is that the Kiwanis StoryWalk encourages literacy development by bringing books to where the kids are, in a new and interactive format,” said Amanda Malinowski, chair of the Kiwanis StoryWalk Project. “It also gets kids moving and includes families in reading and walking together. Thanks to generous funding from the Children’s Board of Hillsborough County, the Kiwanis Club of Tampa is working to expand the project into four new parks throughout Hillsborough County — this being the first to be installed right here in Carrollwood Village Park. This is a true community project.”

StoryWalk is a sign installation that displays a storybook along a walking path page-by-page. In order to read the story, families, kids and park visitors walk along the path and read along, encouraging groups to read together, thus promoting early literacy while engaging in healthy habits such as walking and spending time outdoors in nature. The StoryWalk Project was created by Anne Ferguson of Montpelier, Vermont and developed in collaboration with the Kellogg Hubbard Library. The Kiwanis Club of Tampa installed the first Hillsborough County StoryWalk in Al Lopez Park in August 2022.

There are also StoryWalks in Rowlett Park, Seffner Comm“UNITY” Park and Garden and Ruskin Park and Recreation Center.

Malinowski said the Tampa club partnered with The Kiwanis Club of Carrollwood, which is volunteering to change out the stories each month, which encourages readers to keep coming back for more. Additionally, the Kiwanis Club gives out six copies of the featured book each month via random drawing visitors can enter by scanning a QR code on each sign.

There will be a ribbon-cutting for the CVP StoryWalk on May 18 at 3 p.m. at Shelter No. 1 that’s open to the public.

“The installation has been well-received by the community and we’re receiving positive feedback when our members are in the area changing out the signs,” said Sonya Rose, recreation program supervisor at CVP. “We’re already looking forward to the next stories to be changed to.”

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