By GARLAND KENNEDY
Sentinel Staff Writer
It was a sweetheart of a deal.
Kids were invited to a Valentine’s Day scavenger hunt Sunday for books wrapped as gifts and placed around town. And by the end of the day all the books were in the children’s hands.
“It went so well,” AmeriCorps volunteer Anna Zauner told the Sentinel. “I was really surprised. It was a lot of work putting it together, prepping ahead of time on Sunday. I was doing most of it through the Facebook group… families were posting like crazy.”
She posted a variety of clues to the Sitka Kids Facebook group, and some of the families who found books posted photos of their successes.
“Twenty families were actively posting in the Facebook group, but there were about 100 books and they were all gone when I went to pick them up,” Zauner said.
Gage and Greta Riech work on a citywide scavenger hunt. (Photo provided)
She came to Sitka during the pandemic after the spread of the virus ended her time as a Peace Corps volunteer in Guatemala. Prior to the November spike in local coronavirus cases, Zauner read to students at the Baranof Elementary Breakfast Club as part of her AmeriCorps position and as a way to spread her lifelong love for books.
“I’ve definitely always loved books. And with all the free time with the pandemic I’ve been getting more and more into books myself,” she said in an interview last month, after the installation of a third Little Free Library in town. Her volunteer position involves work with both the Sitka School District and Sitka Tribe of Alaska through a Supporting Transitions and Educational Promise Southeast Alaska (STEPS) grant.
The books given out on Sunday ranged in terms of difficulty, and were intended for several reading levels, from small children to young adults.
“We had picture books and chapter books, so I was able to hopefully accommodate most of the kids who were participating in the contest. They ranged in the reading levels,” she said.
After the books were wrapped up, Zauner said, she wrote the approximate difficulty of the book on the wrapping to ensure it was paired with the appropriate child.
The event took place on Valentine’s Day, she said, to encourage a playdate with a book, in a twist on the traditional romantic theme of the holiday.
“I was thinking there is something called blind date with a book that the library is doing and I kind of wanted to offer that for kids. The idea is it’s kind of a playdate with a book… The idea was to be a playdate for kids – just trying to get kids excited about bringing home a book,” Zauner said.
Families have been grateful for the outreach and events, she said.
“We have a lot of families reach out saying they are really grateful that an event like this was going on,” Zauner noted.
She stressed her wish to continue holding free activities for kids.
“We’re just really hoping to promote free and fun activities and it’s pretty easy to put on,” she said.
She added that through her AmeriCorps position and the Sitka School District she’s also involved in programs aimed at “helping kids who are struggling with their reading levels. We are offering interventions, we meet on (Microsoft) Teams.”
Moving forward, Zauner hopes to collaborate with more local organizations and hold more activities.
“Right now, we’re working with the Early Childhood Coalition that came up with the idea at Parent Cafe… the goal for Sitka was to increase free and fun family activities. So what’s next hopefully for us is we’re trying to engage with more organizations in town that maybe haven’t put on many activities lately… and put on resources and outreach,” she said.
Groups interested in working on such a project, Zauner said, should contact her at zaunera@sitkaschools.org or Kari Sagel at sagelk@sitkaschools.org.
The universality and availability of the activities is critical to Zauner.
She described “fun, easy and free family activities, so everyone can get involved and more activities can be offered.”
Judging from reactions to the book hunt, she said, “there’s definitely a want in the community for more events like this.”
