Read. Walk. Explore!

Kiwanis StoryWalk® is an initiative of the Kiwanis Club of Tampa designed to encourage literacy, physical activity, and family time in our community.

StoryWalk® brings the joy of reading outdoors by displaying the pages of a children’s storybook along a walking path. Families can walk together from page to page, reading the story as they go. It’s a fun way to get moving, enjoy the outdoors, and build a love of reading—all at the same time!

The original Kiwanis StoryWalk® at Al Lopez Park was funded, installed, and continues to be maintained by the Kiwanis Club of Tampa. Thanks to generous funding from the Children’s Board of Hillsborough County, the program has expanded to four additional parks throughout the community, bringing this literacy experience to even more children and families.

We invite you to find a StoryWalk® near you, grab your family, and take a walk through a great story!

Kiwanis StoryWalks are located at the following parks:

Kiwanis volunteers from all over Hillsborough County change out the stories each month! The Kiwanis StoryWalk® is be bilingual, with stories displayed in both English and Spanish and best for children age 7 and under.

Kiwanis Open Book Project

Take a book. Share a book. Make reading a part of every visit!

The Kiwanis Book Nook is a special little library where children and families can discover a new story to enjoy. Located inside the recreation centers at two of our Kiwanis StoryWalk® parks, the Book Nooks give families a cozy place to sit down and read—or choose a book to take home.

Families are welcome to stay and read a story together, take a book home to enjoy, or bring a gently loved book from home to share with another child on their next visit.

The Kiwanis Club of Tampa is proud to make books freely available to children in our community and to encourage a simple idea: when we share books, we share the joy of reading.

Kiwanis Book Nooks are located at the following parks:

Kiwanis volunteers keep the library freshly stocked with books. This literacy initiative is generously funded by the Children’s Board of Hillsborough County.

About Kiwanis

The Kiwanis StoryWalk® is organized and maintained by volunteers from various Kiwanis Clubs around Hillsborough County. Kiwanis strives to improve the world one child and one community at a time. Our enthusiastic volunteers pursue creative ways to serve the needs of children in our community. Each club looks at the unique challenges that children face in our own communities and find ways to step up and help. Learn more about the Kiwanis Clubs that are making StoryWalk® possible:

Kiwanis Club of Tampa

Managing all StoryWalk Locations

Maintaining the StoryWalk® at Rowlett Park & Al Lopez

The Kiwanis Club of Tampa has been helping children and seniors in the local community since 1919. They build residential accessibility ramps, host back-to-school immunization events, provide scholarships, and they host a holiday party for kids in need. They sponsor several High School Key Clubs and a Circle K Club at USF to encourage leadership development. Their Terrific Kids program encourages good character in elementary students. The Tampa Kiwanis Club started the Tampa Kiwanis StoryWalk® at Al Lopez Park and oversees the program at the various parks throughout Hillsborough County and City of Tampa.

Learn more about the Kiwanis Club of Tampa and consider joining their volunteer efforts.

Kiwanis Club of Carrollwood

Maintaining the StoryWalk® at Carrollwood Village Park

The Kiwanis Club of Carrollwood has been committed to serving local children, families, and veterans since 1978. Club members volunteer at the Carrollwood Community Pantry and hold “Cops ‘n Kids” reading events, and support youth programs in High School, Elementary, and middle schoolers. They are committed to Operation Helping Hand Tampa, which serves injured military men and women and their families.

Learn more about the Kiwanis Club of Carrollwood and consider joining their volunteer efforts.

Kiwanis Club of SouthShore

Maintaining the StoryWalk® at Ruskin Park & Recreation Center

The Kiwanis Club of SouthShore serves the towns of Apollo Beach, Ruskin, Sun City Center, Wimauma, and part of Riverview. This Kiwanis Club has several youth programs for students including Terrific Kids programs for elementary students and Builder’s Clubs for middle school students. Their Key Clubs offer an opportunity for high school students to develop themselves as service leaders of the future. Last year they awarded 22 scholarships to local teens.

Learn more about the Kiwanis Club of SouthShore and consider joining their volunteer efforts.

Kiwanis Club of Greater Brandon

Maintaining the StoryWalk® Seffner Comm”UNITY” Park & Garden

The Kiwanis Club of Greater Brandon has been serving their local community since 1960. Their Terrific Kids’ program encourages character development in elementary students, while their K-Kids program provides elementary students opportunities to work on service projects and develop leadership potential. Their Key Club program encourages service leaadership in high school students. They provide shoes for kids in need and participate in a weekly distribution of food to food insecure families.

Learn more about the Kiwanis Club of Greater Brandon and consider joining their volunteer efforts.

Story Selection Committee

A book selection committee has been formed to hand select each story. This committee is made up of several local organizations dedicated to children’s literacy:

Literacy Resources

Early literacy skills help children develop a foundation for learning, cognitive and language development, and a lifelong love of reading and learning.

Check out these local literacy resources provided by partners of the Kiwanis StoryWalk Program.

Kiwanis StoryWalk® is managed by the Kiwanis Club of Tampa. Contact: admin@tampakiwanis.com.

The StoryWalk® Project was created by Anne Ferguson of Montpelier, VT and developed in collaboration with the Kellogg-Hubbard Library.