Summer reading program returns to Torii Station

Photo By Natalie Stanley | A 'Plant A Seed, Read' shirt sits on a table in the children's reading room at Torii Station, Japan, June 3, 2026. The shirt is a registration prize for Department of Defense MWR Libraries Summer Reading Program. The summer reading initiative aims to provide resources and experiences to bridge the summer learning gap, while inspiring literacy and life-long learning.  

JAPAN

12.31.1969

Story by Natalie Stanley 

U.S. Army Garrison Okinawa

TORII STATION, Japan — “Plant a Seed, Read,” at your Torii Station Library during this summer’s Department of Defense MWR Libraries Summer Reading Program.

The summer reading initiative aims to provide resources and experiences to bridge the summer learning gap, while inspiring literacy and life-long learning.

“The program increases interest in coming to the library because the kids have that incentive structure,” said Casey Grimmer, Torii Library supervisory librarian. “It gets them away from screens at home and makes the library experience more positive.”

While designed to help prevent the summer slide, it also encourages service members, military families, DOD civilians and local national employees from across Okinawa to cultivate a love of reading throughout the summer. With categories for prereaders, school-age children, teens and adults, the program allows entire families to participate together.

Readers from across the Okinawa military community continue to embrace the annual summer tradition, with participation steadily increasing in recent years.

Last year, 243 participants logged nearly 200,000 minutes of reading through the program, reflecting growing interest in reading and family-focused activities across the Okinawa military community.

Beyond promoting literacy, the initiative also highlights the unique role the Torii Station Library plays in supporting Soldiers, Families and the broader military community across Okinawa. Open to all authorized patrons, the library serves a diverse community that extends well beyond the Army.

“Fifty percent of our business is non-Army,” said Grimmer. “Marines, Air Force, DoDEA employees, Department of Defense civilians and local national employees all use the library.”

Registration remains open throughout the summer, and participants may join at any time https://toriistationlibrary.beanstack.org/reader365

• Date Taken: 12.31.1969
• Date Posted: 06.05.2026 00:37
• Story ID: 566938
• Location: JP