BLOG
Indian River County Commission Adopts Proclamation in Support of Literacy
The Indian River Board of County Commission voted Tuesday to pass a proclamation as a Moonshot Community and recognize March as National Reading Month. The proclamation was organized by The Learning Alliance’s Moonshot Community Action Network.
The proclamation was organized by The Learning Alliance’s Moonshot Community Action Network.
The Learning Alliance recently caught up Susan Adams, who is the County Commissioner in District 1. She grew up on a farm north of Fellsmere and graduated President of the inaugural class at Sebastian River High School. A Florida State University alum, Susan is the driving force managing her well-known family restaurant, Marsh Landing.
Susan has a son who attends her alma mater, Sebastian River High School.
The Learning Alliance: Describe your connection to Indian River County.
Susan Adams: I am the Indian River County Commissioner for District 1. In that role, I help provide programs, services, and infrastructure for the taxpayers for Indian River County.
TLA: Why is literacy important to you?
Adams: Literacy is the building block of our community and of our future. Having a highly literate community helps us make sure that our residents have the resources needed to be successful and thrive.
TLA: How have you seen the Indian River community rally around literacy?
Adams: Through The Learning Alliance’s coordination of the Moonshot Community Action Network, we have seen tremendous growth in the community’s awareness and understanding of the importance of literacy and the Moonshot Goal.
When you look at Indian River as a whole, you have people involved from the business community, from the philanthropic community, from the religious community, from parents to non-parents, all actively supporting literacy in our community, actively supporting the goals of the Moonshot Goal because it is so important to the vitality of our community.
TLA: From your perspective, what makes Indian River County the literacy capital of the nation?
Adams: I think it’s the partnerships and collaboration across all parts of our community. When you talk about literacy in Indian River County, you’re talking about it with such varied and wide groups who are all supporting the Moonshot Goal. It’s hard to have a conversation that’s not tied to literacy and the benefits of literacy.
Our whole community has invested so much energy, time, and dollars to make sure our kids have the support that they need to be successful. Across students, teachers, parents, residents, philanthropists, and policymakers, it’s really just a multi-layered effort, and that’s what makes Indian River the literacy capital.
TLA: What makes you hopeful about the future of Indian River County?
Adams: I’m hopeful because we have organizations like The Learning Alliance who are completely dedicated to ensuring we reach this 90% goal, and who continue to hold the vision to ensure our community continues to be a literacy capital. What makes me hopeful is that the community is actively engaged in the success of our students and the success of the next generation. Our students are our next generation of leaders, of decision makers, and to have a whole community supporting that goal and making sure they thrive and can be successful makes me very hopeful.