The General Federation of Women’s Clubs (GFWC) Inverness Woman’s Club recently completed a family-friendly project to promote literacy in Whispering Pines Park in Inverness, Citrus County, Florida. The project, called the Storybook Trail, features a .7-mile path with pedestals displaying pages from the storybook “At Home with the Gopher Tortoise” by Madeline Dunphy. The official dedication ceremony took place last week, with children from the club members’ families participating in the first walk along the trail.
The project was spearheaded by club member Donna Darnell, who worked for over a year to present her idea to several groups and oversaw the work from start to finish. The GFWC Woman’s Club of Inverness underwrote the cost of the project. Sherry Bechtel, assistant director of Parks and Recreation for the City of Inverness, Donna Darnell, and Sandy Boyette and Bonnie Jessee, co-presidents of the GFWC Woman’s Club of Inverness, were recognized for their instrumental roles in bringing the Storybook Trail to fruition. During the walk, the children read one page of the story on a pedestal just their height and then raced to the next pedestal to continue the story. Their excitement was doubled when, after reading about a gopher tortoise, they spotted one along the trail.
Originally reported by Citrus County Chronicle – Inverness
Sources: Citrus County Chronicle – Inverness
