Betsy Wells with Deming Elementary student
Give-a-Book is a program that puts a personalized book in the hands of kindergarteners at a local elementary school. This year, Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College was one of the sponsors of this wonderful program that encourages students to read by making them the star of the book.
Every kindergarten student at Deming Elementary School is the star of his or her own storybook, featuring a picture of the child on the inside front cover and the student’s name printed throughout the book as the main character of the story. Additionally, each student’s teacher, school and town in which they live are named in the book. The books are educationally sound; the alphabet, number 1-20, basic shapes and basic colors are taught with activities for each topic.
Betsy Wells, communications manager at SMWC, participated by helping to hand out the books and read to the children.
“It was very heart-warming to see the look on each child’s face when they saw their picture in the front and their name throughout the book,” said Wells. “Their excitement could hardly be contained as we handed out the personalized books.”
The books are free of charge to the students due to the generosity of the sponsors: Betty Lanke of Remax Real Estate, Terre Haute Savings Bank, Vigo County Education Foundation, Sisters of Providence and Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College.