EOD's 'Bucket Fillers' initiative spreads kindness and respect through literacy

Embracing Our Differences’ annual “Bucket Fillers” reading initiative recently inspired 10,000 students in 537 pre-K to third-grade classrooms at 70 public, private, and charter elementary schools in Manatee and Sarasota counties.

Half of the classrooms hosted in-person volunteer readers while the other half participated in EOD’s interactive webisode read-along events.

The 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.

McCloud's 10 children’s books have sold over 3 million copies worldwide and are used in schools across the globe to inspire classrooms built on kindness and respect for all students. For the past six years, EOD has partnered on the reading initiative with Sarasota County Schools, the School District of Manatee County, and the Early Learning Coalitions of Sarasota and Manatee counties.

To read more or see this story as it originally appeared in Sarasota Herald-Tribune on Jan. 6, 2025, click here.