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Porterville Today
By the People, for the People
Latter-day Saint Leads Literacy Celebration in Porterville
Patience Christenson has chaired the annual Porterville Celebrates Reading event for the past 4 years.
Apr. 18, 2026 at 11:34pm
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The Porterville Celebrates Reading event brings the community together to promote literacy and provide free books for local children.Porterville TodayPatience Christenson, a member of the Porterville California Stake of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, has been the chair of the Porterville Celebrates Reading event since 2022. The annual community celebration, which just marked its 25th anniversary, emphasizes the importance of literacy and provides free books for local children.
Why it matters
The Porterville Celebrates Reading event reflects the Latter-day Saint community's longstanding commitment to promoting literacy and education in the local area. As chair, Christenson continues a legacy of involvement by Relief Society sisters that dates back to the event's founding in the early 1990s.
The details
Christenson has overseen the 25th anniversary celebration of the Porterville Celebrates Reading event, which took place on April 11, 2026 at Veterans Park in Porterville, California. The annual event provides free books for local children and families to build their home libraries, with the goal of encouraging reading and literacy in the community.
- The Porterville Celebrates Reading event was founded around 1993.
- The event became officially recognized by the city of Porterville in 2000.
- Patience Christenson has chaired the event since 2022.
The players
Patience Christenson
A member of the Porterville Ward in the Porterville California Stake of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, who has chaired the Porterville Celebrates Reading event since 2022.
Porterville California Stake
The local stake of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Porterville, California, to which Patience Christenson belongs.
Porterville Celebrates Reading
An annual community event in Porterville, California that emphasizes the importance of literacy and provides free books for local children.
What they’re saying
“Our local Relief Society sisters have been involved with Porterville Celebrates Reading since its founding around 1993, though it became recognized by the city in 2000, so I am just continuing the legacy started by them.”
— Patience Christenson, Event Chair
The takeaway
The Porterville Celebrates Reading event demonstrates how the Latter-day Saint community in Porterville has long prioritized literacy and education, with volunteers like Patience Christenson carrying on this tradition of service and community engagement.
