NSU Alvin Sherman Library’s Circle of Friends and Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital presented the 23rd A Day for Children on October 21, 2023. This annual health literacy event has been a Davie community staple since its inception in 2002, was a smashing success with 687 adults and 692 children in attendance. This health-centered event featured ambassadors from many of NSU’s medical clubs and programs to provide free testing and resources for children from birth to age 16 and the Circle of Friends was delighted to be one of the sponsors.
Attendees were kept entertained with activities from Young at Art, Preggo Dance, This Is Improv, face-painting from Top Hat Entertainment, and live performances from Florida Children’s Theater and The Girl Choir of South Florida. Refreshments were on hand from Goji Juicery and Hungry Howie’s Pizza of Davie to make sure attendees could enjoy the event without being inhibited by hunger.
We were also proud to host dignitaries from around the South Florida community, including Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Shultz and Broward Sherriff’s Office Gregory Tony. Stars from our local entertainment scene also made appearances, local celebrity Miss Penny from South Florida PBS KidVision made a special appearance for photo ops and story time with familiar kid-favorite characters such as PBS’s Clifford the Big Red Dog in tow.
This event also provided an opportunity for our organization to challenge food inequity in our community. Our partner Feeding South Florida distributed 19,334 pounds of fresh produce to attendees. As outlined in Circle of Friends’ mission statement, one of our goals is fostering early literacy within the community. We were happy to have contributed to reaching that goal at A Day for Children, distributing 562 individual books to families, including chapter books, graphic novels, and cookbooks.