Reader’s Corner: Junior Auxiliary helps area schools ‘Celebrate Reading’

Members of the Junior Auxiliary of Taney County are committed to helping more children enjoy reading books, and getting books into the hands of kids. The Celebrate Reading program helps accomplish that goal. 

The program started around 2013 as the Book Swap, later renamed Celebrate Reading. The group has been able to assemble a large collection of books through grants, donations from local businesses, book drives, teacher donations and books donated after libraries update their collections. There are currently six collections, rotating around six locations including Boys & Girls Clubs, Options Clinic, Plato’s Cave, The Penleigh, The Pines and Christian Action Ministries. At some locations, JATC members or other community volunteers, parents, or grandparents get involved by reading aloud and supervising an activity related to the story. 

The Junior Auxiliary also supports the efforts of area school librarians, contacting Cedar Ridge, Hollister and Kirbyville school librarians for lists of books the children are interested in reading. The group then purchases those books, including classics. 

The main goal is to get books into the hands of children in Taney County and encourage them to enjoy reading! Learn more, including how to get involved in JATC, by visiting https://www.jatcmo.org/community-projects or the Facebook page.