Category: Dive Into Reading

Thank You for a Great 2022!

What a memorable year 2022 was…in so many ways, wonderful and exciting….and in so many ways, challenging…and I know many of you can relate. We’re all learning how to re-assess our expectations of how things should go vs. the reality we live in, which looks a little different from how it did ten, or even three years ago!  For example, I expected our construction timelines to run about six to eight months…but it turns out that eighteen months is more realistic 🥴 Here’s a picture of the Executive Team (not pictured, our COO Chris Frawley) at the new UTC location

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ANNA MARIA OYSTER BAR’S DIVE INTO READING PROGRAM RECOGNIZED

Anna Maria Oyster Bar’s Dive Into Reading Program Recognized

The national award-winning Dive Into Reading program has successfully completed its fourth year, despite the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic. Nominated by the School District of Manatee County, Dive Into Reading received the annual Commissioner’s Business Recognition Award (CBRA) from the Florida Department of Education. The Commissioner’s Business Recognition Awards (CBRA) recognize Florida’s business leaders and partners that have shown the most commitment in bringing positive change and implementing bold, innovative approaches to improve the academic performance of students in Florida’s education system and communities. Along with the award, the School District of Manatee County received $5,000 from Florida Blue

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A YEAR TO REMEMBER

A Year to Remember

From our family to yours, we’d like to wish you and yours a very Happy New Year! From the bottom of our heart, we want to thank you for your support all year long – from supporting our fundraisers to your continued patronage, we are beyond thankful for all the local love this year! Lots of blessings this year that we wish to share with you… we were so honored and proud to accept the following awards and recognitions in 2019: Amanda received the PACE Spirit for Leadership Award – one of three Board Awards for the entire state at

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Dive Into Reading Year 3: One for the Books!

Dive Into Reading has successfully completed year three, and this year, in particular, was one for the books! We are so incredibly humbled & proud to share that AMOB has been honored with Leadership Florida’s 2019 Impact Award for Dive Into Reading. This award recognizes a business or nonprofit organization that has created a specific project, or body of work, whose impact is currently transforming the future of its region or beyond and has the potential to transform Florida as a whole. This recognition is very special to us…rendering even John Horne speechless…if you can believe it. Word from the

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ANNA MARIA OYSTER BAR’S PHILANTHROPIC WAYS RECOGNIZED

Anna Maria Oyster Bar’s Philanthropic Ways Recognized

Anna Maria Oyster Bar is proud to announce that CEO John Horne & his wife, AMOB Royal Consort aka Director of Marketing and Philanthropy, Amanda Horne, were presented the Bradenton Kiwanis Foundation Bert South Philanthropic Award, awarded annually by the Bradenton Kiwanis Foundation to honor an individual, family or group who best reflects the Foundation’s philanthropic values. Excerpts from the nomination forms were shared during the award ceremony, noting that, “John and Amanda Horne are uniquely deserving of this prestigious Kiwanis Award. From creating and funding a scholarship fund, to implementing a reading improvement program with Manatee County schools, their

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DIVE INTO READING VOLUNTEER REGISTRATION IS NOW OPEN!

Dive Into Reading Volunteer Registration is Now OPEN!

Dive Into Reading volunteer registration is officially open and we need YOUR help! This year, we have opened up our program to rising 1st graders as well as rising 2nd and 3rd graders. We are expecting approximately 450 children! More kiddos mean more volunteers! For those who aren’t familiar with Dive Into Reading is, it’s a program Amanda and John Horne of Anna Maria Oyster Bar started three years ago with the help of our amazing staff and myriad community partners. The goal of Dive Into Reading is to improve children’s reading levels by combating “Summer Slide,” continue children’s educations

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DIVE INTO READING RECEIVES GENEROUS DE SOTO DONATION

Dive Into Reading Receives Generous De Soto Donation

We would like to extend our full gratitude to the Hernando De Soto Historical Society for supporting our Dive Into Reading program by giving a generous donation of $2,000! Thank you for all that you do to support education in our community through grants and scholarships. It is more than appreciated! With help from dedicated community partners, Anna Maria Oyster Bar launched Dive Into Reading in the Summer of 2017. We invited rising 2nd and 3rd graders at local Title I elementary schools who were participants in the School District of Manatee’s Camp R.I.S.E. program to our restaurants for a

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JOHN & AMANDA SELECTED AS CAMPAIGN FOR GRADE LEVEL READING CHAMPIONS

John & Amanda selected as Campaign for Grade Level Reading Champions

The Suncoast Campaign for Grade-Level Reading received broad recognition at GLR Week in Philadelphia, the nation’s most significant convening focused on early learning, children’s health and well-being, afterschool and summer programs, and getting all children reading on grade level by the end of third grade — a key predictor of continued success in school and life. Members of the Suncoast Campaign were among the more than 700 thought leaders, educators and supporters of grade-level reading efforts nationwide in attendance. The Suncoast Campaign’s communications were recognized for examples of awareness campaigns, events, media stories, print collateral and videos it has developed

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DIVE INTO READING: WEEK 3

Dive into Reading: Week 3

Written by Amanda Horne, Royal Consort of Anna Maria Oyster Bar We cannot believe that Week #2 of Dive Into Reading is already over, and know the next two weeks are going to fly by just as fast! During the first two weeks we have had over 250 mentors read to 335 kids from all fifteen Title I Manatee County elementary schools in five different locations.  Many of our mentors are volunteering on two or even three days a week and for this we are forever grateful. The kids were SO excited to be taking a field trip to a

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DIVE INTO READING: WEEK 2

Dive into Reading: Week 2

Written by Ashley Graham of Sokos Social As Martin Luther King, Jr. said, “Life’s most persistent and urgent question is, ‘What are you doing for others?’” To have the chance to help a child learn to read, and spark the interest of a younger generation to continue reading and learning has been priceless. The first week of the program, I arrived at Gecko’s on State Road 70 and eagerly awaited meeting the child I’d be mentoring for the next month. It was inspiring to look around the room and see all the volunteers, also anxious for the children to arrive!

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