Read To Succeed is asking all Rutherford County residents to take a moment and unplug. Unplug the TV, the phone, video games and iPods. And, instead, sit back and read.

The seveth annual UNPLUG & Read! Event is scheduled for February 10-16. Read To Succeed started the event as a simple way to promote its mission, which is to raise literacy awareness throughout the community.

To celebrate the event (and literacy), you can unplug for several hours. But all it takes is a commitment to unplug for five, ten, or fifteen minutes at some point throughout the week to bring the event to life.

This year, readers are asked to pledge the hours that they would turn off the TV and pick up a book during the week at readtosucceed.org/unplug.htm. More than 250 hours of unplugged reading have already been pledged. 

Organizers hope the community will carry the message of the event, the importance of reading, throughout the year, and remember to always make time to pick up a book.

FOR SCHOOLS: Have book discussions in classrooms  |  Ask a volunteer to read to your class  |  Provide extra credit to students who pledge to read at home  |  Let students act out their favorite stories  |  Let students design new book covers for their favorite books  |  Have faculty members read some of their favorite books over the intercom during morning announcements |  Have your entire class pledge hours to UNPLUG at home at readtosucceed.org/unplug.htm

AT HOME: Plan a family reading night  |  Have a family book swap | Get your family cozy in one room and have a mini read-a-thon. Remember hot cocoa.  |   Read aloud: each family member picks out his/her favorite story or poem and reads aloud to each other  |  Reading Tent: grab the sheets, blankets and flashlight to create a family reading tent, everyone crawl in and have fun reading  |  Theme night: create a theme night based on your child's favorite book, make something yummy related to the story (i.e. Green eggs and ham), decorate and/or dress in costumes. |  Library night: Haven't been to the public library in a while? Don't have a library card? Pack the family in the car and take a trip to the local library.

AT WORK:  Advertise UNPLUG & Read with your staff  |  Ask staff, customers to pledge to UNPLUG at home at readtosucceed.org/unplug.htm  |  Host a book swap in the employee break room  |  Give employees an extra “reading” break during the day  |  Challenge employees to read the One Book/Community Read Selection: The Fault in Our Stars  |  Offer a book as a promotional give away/incentive  |  Start an “in-house” book club to meet monthly during lunch hour.

For more information on UNPLUG & Read! and to find out about more events taking place throughout the community, visit readtosucceed.org/unplug.htm.