Yuletide was the good word when budding bookworms united for a holiday literacy party at the Patrick Daly School, presented by Red Hook Rise in conjunction with the PAVE Academy.
Youngsters were feted with gifts and taken on wondrous word journeys as part of the lesson on community cheer at the learning institute, 71 Sullivan Street.
Leading the celebration were Earl and Ray Hall, who founded the organization in 1994, creating several sports and recreation programs for youngsters in the community to divert them from negative street life.
Soon after, the brothers became increasingly aware about the low literacy levels of children who participated in the programs, and introduced the Books & Basketball Program in 2000, which became a mainstay of the grassroots group.
