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<p align="center" style="text-align:center"><b><span style="font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black">Governor Whitmer Kicks off March by Declaring the Month as March is Reading Month</span></b><span class="apple-converted-space"><b><span style="font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black"> </span></b></span><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black"> </span><span style="font-family:"-webkit-standard",serif;color:black"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black">LANSING, Mich</span></b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black">. – Today, Governor Whitmer issued a proclamation declaring the month of March as
Reading Month in Michigan. Throughout the month, schools, children, and adults alike use this time to promote the importance of reading.</span><span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black"> </span></span><span style="font-family:"-webkit-standard",serif;color:black"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0);font-variant-caps: normal;orphans: auto;text-align:start;widows: auto;-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;word-spacing:0px">
<span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black">“Every year the country uses this month to promote reading and imagination. I am proud to declare March as Reading Month in Michigan and I encourage everyone to find time to read,” said</span><span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black"> </span></span><b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black">Governor
Whitmer.</span></b><span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black"> </span></span><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black">“This month, we should</span><span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black"> </span></span><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black">recommit
ourselves to encouraging children and young adults to read diverse literary works early and often so they can see themselves and others in what they read.”</span><span style="font-family:"-webkit-standard",serif;color:black"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0);font-variant-caps: normal;orphans: auto;text-align:start;widows: auto;-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;word-spacing:0px">
<span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black">The governor is committed to ensuring students and schools have the resources they need to learn and teach safely. That is why, in</span><span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black"> </span></span><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black">January,
Governor Whitmer proposed her MI COVID Recovery Plan that invests $1.7 billion directly to our schools. She also proposed her FY2022 executive budget recommendation that makes the largest investment in K-12 schools in Michigan history.</span><span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black"> </span></span><span style="font-family:"-webkit-standard",serif;color:black"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0);font-variant-caps: normal;orphans: auto;text-align:start;widows: auto;-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;word-spacing:0px">
<span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black">A report from</span><span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black"> </span></span><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black">MSU
and the Education Policy Innovation Collaborative (EPIC) showed that 97% of school districts have met the governor’s goal to get students back to in-person learning by today, March 1<sup>st</sup>.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black">********************************************<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black">There are so many fun ways to celebrate “March is Reading Month” but MLA wants to take the opportunity to encourage you to use this time to invite your legislators
to your library for a storytime! Participating in a read-aloud or storytime could be virtual or in-person and is a great way for legislators to engage with the community, and also a wonderful way for your library to build relationships with our legislators
and strengthen our collective advocacy efforts.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black">You can find your legislator's contact information online using<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001dZvzh1BGSIjfhL0kjy9fgMr0RA7dn_nFzdncaUIEVyIM4OoTGSpUDWH6eFCC7cn6FGRRttxikPkNvKCa3LuJjX_SaNdwocnS2B3Pi2vzqAucckz90TnIOyXIUwehDuTgFecCOFjL_fb0-eNWUhWdTMc4_UDrk83AGV52RRlxlFnT4-eXDyepG03L6I2fZ5jh&c=OHMYWy7s_rMWjmLs9e_axq8q0gSPKvVUv-UaAda1dHTErliPOBhELQ==&ch=Hjw6jAfA9w4O3pDV3gCauFY1uBbv3jhOHvdQQU4SRG4qmh0jXOMbKg==" target="_blank"><b><span style="color:#98A05F">MLA's
Find my Legislator tool.</span></b></a><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>Or contact MLA and we will help you connect with your legislator to facilitate a virtual or in-person visit.<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black">We hope to see libraries all across Michigan take this opportunity to engage with our legislators and continue to advocate for the importance of library workers and
libraries!<o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:14.0pt;color:#698424">Deborah E. Mikula</span></b><span style="color:black"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:black">Executive Director</span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:black">Michigan Library Association<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:black">3410 Belle Chase Way, Suite 100<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:black">Lansing, MI. 48911<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:black">Office: 517-394-2774, ext. 224<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:black">Cell: 517-404-3533<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:black"><a href="mailto:dmikula@milibraries.org"><span style="color:#0563C1">dmikula@milibraries.org</span></a><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:black"><a href="http://www.milibraries.org"><span style="color:#0563C1">www.milibraries.org</span></a><o:p></o:p></span></p>
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