The Boys & Girls Clubs of South Alabama in Mobile, Alabama have received the 2019 Estela and Raúl Mora Award, an honor given by Pat and her sister, Stella Mora Henry, in partnership with First Book. The award recognizes literacy activities during the month of April in celebration of Children’s Day, Book Day; also known as El día de los niños, El día de los libros; or Día. The Boys & Girls Clubs will receive a $1,000 credit for brand new books from the First Book Marketplace.

The Boys & Girls Clubs of South Alabama hosted the The Gulf Coast Children’s Book Festival, created to help ignite a greater love of reading in the children of the area. Over 3,000 children, teachers and parents attended and enjoyed a variety of activities for children to immerse themselves in surrounding books. They were able to give each child at least two books.

The festival featured seven storyteller stages, two illustrator workshop areas, a hands-on STEM games area and a bookstore. Local high school students circulated in costumes and interacted with the children dressed as an assortment of book characters. Alabama Public Television (PBS) hosted a children’s hands-on area with tablets and illustration opportunities. Eighteen children’s authors attended and did book signings with the children and participated on the storyteller stages. They had over forty different exhibitors from educational organizations.

There were also two Mora Award honor winners that will receive $500 in credit to the First Book Marketplace: Andress High School Library in El Paso, TX and the Anaheim Central Library Children’s Room in Anaheim, CA.

Pat’s parents, Estela and Raúl Mora, her sister Cissy and Pat