The UA Cancer Center participated in the 8th Annual Feria de la Lectura—a bilingual literacy fair—at the El Pueblo Activity Center at 101 W. Irvington Ave. on Tucson’s south side July 30.
“The turnout was amazing as hundreds and hundreds of people showed up to get back-to-school supplies. We had many people show up at our booth I set up and lots of good enquires about the Cancer Center,” said Margy Eller, RN, a nurse navigator and outreach coordinator for the UA Cancer Center.
The free public event, which was created by Tucson Ward I City Council Member Regina Romero, provides free books, school supplies, backpacks, car booster seats, bicycles, bike helmets, haircuts and health screenings to low-income families—while supplies last.
Hosted by Romero’s office and the Mexican Consulate in Tucson with sponsorship by a number of local organizations—the UA ConfluenCenter among them, it also included family reading activities, crafts and story time. Organizers anticipated more than 3,000 attendees.
In all, this year’s Feria attendees received:
- 1,000 backpacks from Food City
- 3,000 books given out by Consul de Mexico Ricardo Pineda and Roni Capin Ashford
- 40 haircuts, by Pedro, Margaret and Lupe
- Thousands of school supplies, backpacks, bike helmets and booster seats from TMC
- 15 bikes and 2 Kindle e-readers which were donated by Curacao, Southwest Gas and Tucson Fire Fighters, Tucson Police Department and La Poderosa 105.3 FM
- A free night’s stay at the Riverpark Inn and the JW Marriott Starr Pass Resort
- 1,000 Peter Piper Pizza coupons for 7-inch personal size pizzas
- Hundreds of apples and ice cream coupons from McDonald’s
- $1,000 dollars in Eegee’s.
This year, the fair’s new mascot, El Lucha Libro (see flyer on right), also was unveiled, modeled on a Mexican wrestling superhero theme. Lucho Libro was created by Hector A. Ceniceros III, in collaboration with Council Member Romero’s office and the Southern Arizona Comic Association.
For more information, contact the Ward I Office, (520) 791-4040.