Pictured: Nicole Craig leads a reading session with Braden River kindergarten students as part of Bucket Fillers Reading Day. Photo courtesy of EOD.

Embracing Our Differences’ annual “Bucket Fillers” reading initiative promotes respect and kindness by teaching children how to “fill buckets” through acts of love, appreciation, and compassion, using the nationally acclaimed “Bucket Fillers” book series by Carol McCloud. On November 19, this impactful initiative reached 10,000 students in 537 pre-kindergarten to third grade classrooms across 70 public, private, and charter elementary schools in Manatee and Sarasota counties. Of these, half of the classrooms hosted in-person volunteer readers, while the other half participated in EOD’s interactive “webisode read-along” events.

Pictured: Nicole Craig leads a reading session with Braden River kindergarten students as part of Bucket Fillers Reading Day. Photo courtesy of EOD.