“Blaze Goes to College” book launch event is March 15 at KCC

KCC mascot Blaze holds copies of the College's new children's book "Blaze Goes to College."

Kellogg Community College is hosting a reading event on campus in Battle Creek this month to celebrate the publication of the College’s first-ever children’s book, Blaze Goes to College.”

The free event will run from 6 to 7 p.m. Friday, March 15, in the Student Center on campus at 450 North Ave. It will include a reading, opportunities for photos with KCC mascot Blaze, a craft time for kids, and appearances from student representatives from select academic areas featured in the book.

Bruin Bookstore staff will also be on hand selling copies of the book for those who’d like a copy of their own. All profits go toward scholarships for the College’s Bruin Youth Programming camps and initiatives for area youth.

“Blaze Goes to College” is a 32-page picture book that follows a young version of KCC’s Bruin mascot Blaze, a cartoon bear, as he and his class take a field trip to the College’s North Avenue campus in Battle Creek, learning about college and careers in the arts, health care, STEM fields and more.

The book, which was published in February, was a collaborative effort produced by KCC’s Admissions, Graphic Design, Lifelong Learning and Public Information and Marketing departments to support the College’s expanding Bruin Youth Programming initiative. It was written by KCC Digital Marketing Manager Simon Thalmann and illustrated by KCC student Sara Parks, who completed the work through her honors project via KCC’s Graphic Design Practicum class during the Fall 2018 semester.

KCC student and employee representatives – along with the KCC mascot – kicked off National Reading Month March 1 with a reading event at Lakeview’s Riverside Elementary. The event was first of several planned readings of the book that will take place at area elementary schools this month to encourage reading and expose kids to college. KCC is also donating copies of the book to each school library.

A digital version of “Blaze Goes to College” is available to read for free on KCC’s website at www.kellogg.edu/blaze-goes-to-college. Copies of the book will also be available for checkout at KCC’s Emory Morris Library and Willard Library in Battle Creek, and are available for purchase for $4.99 plus tax exclusively at KCC’s Bruin Bookstore.

For more information about “Blaze Goes to College” or Bruin Youth Programming at KCC, contact KCC’s Lifelong Learning Department at ll-info@kellogg.edu, call 269-965-4134 or visit www.kellogg.edu/youth.

For more news about Kellogg Community College, view our latest press releases online at https://daily.kellogg.edu/category/news-releases.