El Paso Public Library - Archives of Past Events

2007 - Día de los Niños /
Día de los Libros
El Paso Public Library

Festival Celebrates Youth

This April 28, families in El Paso and the surrounding area are invited to celebrate Día de los Niños / Día de los Libros – a day when we are reminded that the most important resource of all is children. This year will be the 11th anniversary of the annual community wide celebration, which began as a joint partnership between the El Paso Public Library and the Parks and Recreation Department. Beginning at 10:00 am there will be a Healthy Heart walk from and to Washington Park. Registration for the walk is at 9:30 am. Festivities will continue at Washington Park from 11:00 am to 6:00 pm. There will be thousands of free books to give away as well as free goodies, entertainment, sports, and activities throughout the day.

"Discover your World"

Special guest will be
Dora the Explorer

April 28, 2007
Washington Park, El Paso, TX
11:00 am - 6:00 pm

Admission is free and open to the public.

The idea for the celebration comes from Mexico and Latin America where el Día del Niño is observed to honor youth in the same way in which Mother’s Day and Father’s Day are celebrated. America’s celebration of Children’s Day began in 1997 as the brainchild of El Paso born author Pat Mora. Mora used her influence with educators and librarians to encourage observances throughout the country. Her idea was not only to celebrate children but also to promote the importance of literacy as one of the most important elements in the development and future success of young people.

The idea caught on! Today, hundreds of cities around the United States organize Día de los Niños celebrations. Places such as Lake Geneva, Wisconsin and Danbury, Connecticut to New York City and Los Angeles have recognized the importance of dedicating one special day just for kids.

Photo of Pat Mora
Pat Mora

According to the National Latino Children’s Institute “El Día de los Niños is a day when children of all economic, social and cultural backgrounds voice their wishes, hopes and dreams for the future”. Should this special day become a National Holiday, it will be seen as a gift from the Hispanic community to the youth of America. The movement has received heavy bi-partisan support on Capital Hill from Senators Orin Hatch, Jeff Bingaman, Tom Daschle and Kay Bailey Hutchison as well as Hilary Clinton and the Congressional Hispanic Caucus to name a few.

In El Paso, the goal each year is to provide a free book to every child who attends the event. In addition to a free book, each child receives free goodies to take home. There is also a stage with entertainment for the whole family throughout the day. The Parks and Recreation department provides free jumping balloons and other activities for all the kids to enjoy. Free swimming at one of the local public pools is offered to all the kids courtesy of Gus and Goldie. If kids don’t have a way to get to the celebration, the can get on any Sun Metro bus and ride for free to and from the event. There are also in access of 60 carnival type booths with games, which offer prizes and information to the children. The best part is that all of these great activities are provided free of charge thanks to community sponsors. Families are encouraged to bring their lunches but there will also be many food and beverage vendors, which will provide nourishment throughout the day at very reasonable prices. The idea is to make this special day affordable for all El Paso families.

For more information contact:

Jack Galindo at (915) 543-5468 galindojw@elpasotexas.gov
Martha Toscano at (915) 543-5480 toscanoma@elpasotexas.gov

Other websites with information on Día de los Niños / Día de los Libros

www.nlci.org/
www.patmora.com
www.tsl.state.tx.us/ld/projects/ninos/