08/26/2026
When we launched Read City in 2019, the idea was simple: what if an entire community came together around one goal? What if we all decided that helping children learn to read wasn't just the responsibility of schools or libraries, but something we could all be part of? I believed then, and I still believe today, that reading changes lives.
We kicked things off in 2019 with the Read to the Moon challenge, inviting Knox County to read 250,000 hours together. And boy did you rise to the challenge. Families read together. Teachers encouraged their students. Businesses, churches, nonprofits, and community organizations joined in. Libraries became places where curiosity grew.
Next, we Read around the World for a collective 500,000 hours. The next year, one million hours. Our yearly challenges took us to the bottom of the ocean and to the tallest summits in the world.
Year after year, our community answered the call. Not for a prize, but because we understood that when a child becomes a reader, a whole world opens before them.
When I look back, what I'll remember most isn't the numbers. It's the people: the child who found a favorite book, the parent who made reading part of the bedtime routine, the librarian or teacher who inspired a young reader to keep going.
Some of my favorite moments as Mayor happened with a book in my hand, reading to a classroom. Over the years, I got to become all kinds of characters: a ship captain, a dinosaur, an explorer, a band leader, and, it seemed, every year, that mischievous Cat in the Hat. Those moments reminded me just how powerful a story can be. I've seen the excitement when a story captures a child's imagination, and I've been reminded that literacy is one of the greatest gifts we can give the next generation.
Read City became more than a reading challenge. It became a tradition, a shared commitment to building a stronger community, one child and one book at a time.
That is a legacy worth being proud of.
To everyone who has been part of this journey – thank you. Thank you to our libraries, our schools, our educators, our partners, our volunteers, and most importantly, the children and families who embraced this challenge year after year. You are the reason Read City succeeded.
And while my part of this chapter may be coming to a close, the mission continues every time a child picks up a book, turns a page, and discovers something new. It's been one of the great honors of my time as Mayor to be part of this story. Thank you for reading with me.
