Local Author Caitlin Nicole Evans launches "Where DO Stories Come From?"

Local author and generous friend to County Kids Read, Caitlin Nicole Evans says that her new book, "Where DO Stories Come From?" is "filled with all the words from the creatures inside my head, and the paintings of all the things I love most (ice cream cones, aliens, and wiener dogs - oh my)!"  Caitlin graciously offered friends of CKR the opportunity to donate a discounted copy of “Where Do Stories Come From?” to the County Kids Read book room. Books are still available to order/donate.

In November 2023, Caitlin’s books will be available on her new website: www.caitlinnicoleevans.com. 

“Where Do Stories Come From?” will also be available at Books and Company in Picton, ON at the end of November.  Caitlin can also be found on Facebook (@Caitlin Nicole Evans) and on Instagram (@caitlinnicoleevans).

First Annual Back-To-School Backpack Drive - PECI

Baxter Arts Centre, Wellington Farmers' Market, market vendors from Picton Town Hall, and www.countyballoons.ca collaborated to power a "backpack drive" for children of Prince Edward County.

Generous donations of school supplies and backpacks were organized and distributed to students as they headed back to school!

County Kids Read was honoured to support this wonderful community initiative by contributing a new book for every backpack.

Reading Round-Up

On July 28, 2023, the sun came out at London Avenue Park - just in time to make the "Reading Round-Up" event truly shine! The variety of activities meant that there was something for everyone.  County Kids Read gave 67 books to 67 new friends, along with puzzles, crayons, and markers.  

Many thanks to our fantastic community partners, County of Prince Edward Public Library & Archives and Prince Edward Learning Centre, for a terrific event! We look forward to other events in collaboration with the Picton Heights Community.

March Madness

Spring has arrived, and during the month of March books were flying off the shelves of the CKR Reading Room. Along with supplying all of our community partners with books, County Kids Read also hosted several classes from PECI. Books were distributed to public schools as well, including Sophiasburgh and Athol Public Schools.

Another successful class visit to the CKR Reading Room.

Along with distributing books, it is CKR’s mission to also distribute resources on this website to help parents, caregivers, teachers, and staff. Check out our recently updated “ABOUT” page, by clicking the tab on the homepage. There are three categories which include annotated lists of books and additional online resources in the following topics:

• Childrens' Mental Health and Wellness

• Exploring Indigenous Culture 

• Diversity and Inclusion

While on the homepage, be sure to also sign up for a newsletter and receive updates from CKR directly to your inbox.

Family Day Fun in February

In celebration of Family Day 2023, County Kids Read participated in a wonderful event organized by the Rotary Club of Wellington. On February 18th, from 10am-3pm, families enjoyed a variety of activities at the Wellington Community Centre, including receiving a free book from County Kids Read.  We were pleased  to hand out over 100 books! Hopefully you and your family were able to spend the day together, and thank you to all those who came out to support this event for some Family Day fun.

The New Year is Off to a Wonderful Start . . .

Happy New Year everyone!

After a little holiday break, County Kids will be back to regular updates every month including posts on our Facebook page and a monthly newsletter. Make sure to click “Newsletter” at the top of the page to subscribe and receive info, updates, and events straight to your inbox.

So, what has CKR been up to this January?

Grant funding is imperative to the success of organizations like CKR. County Kids Read would like to thank the Huff Family Fund and the County Foundation for funding our grant application entitled, Post Pandemic: Closing the Learning Gap. The effects of school closures, online and at home learning caused learning gaps which were most pronounced for students from low-income families or students struggling with literacy acquisition. The monies from this grant will be used to purchase books to aid in closing the learning gap for our community’s most vulnerable children. Pictured below is Peta Shelton, our board treasurer, representing CKR as one of this year’s recipients.

On January 21st, County Kids Read participated in a pop-up party in Picton Heights on London Ave called Winterfest. This event was organized by the Department of Illumination with several other community groups. Picton Heights is traditionally underserved with events such as this, and with no cost to those attending, Winterfest was accessible to all members of the community. There were over 200 people in attendance, and everyone was able to enjoy games, food, and fun activities. Including story time (in snow pants!) with the PEC Public Library, and a selection of books to browse and take home thanks to County Kids Read. CKR was able to hand out over 100 books throughout the day. It was a truly wonderful winter event! Below are a selection of photographs highlighting all the fun . . .

Children choose from Dr. Seuss, Animal Snoops, and plenty more . . .

Keeping warm with a game of skee ball . . .

A pop-up puppet show . . .

Thank you to everyone who continues to support, donate, and follow County Kids Read.

Seasons Greetings from CKR

County Kids Read would like to wish you and your families the very best this holiday season.

Happy holidays . . .

December is a busy month for CKR. We have been delivering books to our Community Partners and hosting class visits these past weeks, and now the shelves are looking a little bare! We were also incredibly pleased to have donated over 200 books to the Christmas Angel Tree program again this year.

A classroom visit having fun with picture books

We were also busy with our own County Kids Read end-of-year get together. This year Catherine O' Brien, a CKR volunteer, presented an interactive  workshop highlighting the book entitled the  Enchanted Hour: The Miraculous Power of Reading Aloud by Meghan Cox Gurdon. This book examines the magical and profound impact that occurs when one person reads to another.

Catherine’s wonderful workshop

County Kids Read would lastly like to thank the community of donors who have given so generously to our programme this past year. Your support and commitment to County Kids Read enables us to place a book in EVERY child's hand.

CKR will return with regular news and updates in 2023. Happy holidays, everyone!

Heart Warming Art & Happy News

Abigail Moore in the CKR Reading Room

One of our little readers has launched a project to help raise money for County Kids Read. Six-year old Abigail Moore has created beautiful greeting cards featuring her original artwork to support children's literacy programs in Prince Edward County. The cards are perfect for your holiday greetings, or to give to loved ones as a unique, feel-good gift.

Please visit Art by Abigail to shop today - www.abigailmoore.ca. Orders can be picked up at the Prince Edward County Arts Council office. More information is available during checkout. Thank you, Abigail!

Just a few of Abigail’s beautiful greeting card designs!

County Kids Read was also very fortunate to receive a donation from “Many Happy Returns”. Pictured below is Max Mee making the donation on behalf of this wonderful organization. Max is a dedicated member of Prince Edward County's "Many Happy Returns" fundraising team along with David Hepburn.  He puts tremendous effort into collecting and returning bottles and cans so that he can turn around and make donations to worthy local community organizations.  You can "meet" Max by clicking on this link to an article on County Live.  You can also click here to check out the "Many Happy Returns" Facebook page.

Max Mee presenting a cheque to Anne Preston, Chair of CKR.

These two heartwarming displays of generosity are truly what the holiday season is all about. So, don’t forget, if you would like to donate this December in lieu of a present, or simply to get into the giving spirit, just click the donate button on our webpage. Thank you for all the new and continued support as the year draws to an end.

Giving Tuesday - November 29th

Click the link below to donate . . .

On Giving Tuesday, November 29th 2022, please consider making a donation to County Kids Read.  Your donation makes a big difference.

This year, we encourage you to become a “Champion” of County Kids Read by committing to a manageable monthly donation.  

The cost of one “Tall Latte” each month, $5.03, could put new books into the hands of 6 - 10 children in 2023.  A $10 monthly donation could become 12 - 20 new books, and a $20 monthly donation could put new books into the hands of an entire elementary school class in 2023! 

The County Kids Read team distributes books through 14 community partners, including 3 food banks, community programs, and local elementary schools.  Currently, we are distributing upwards of 500 books per month.

With thanks, 

Anne Preston

Chair, County Kids Read

Community Collaborations

County Kids Read is happy to announce a community collaboration with local children’s book author Caitlin Nicole Evans. Caitlin recently published a book called Cosette Goes to the County, highlighting the Prince Edward County community. Through a crowdfunding campaign, Caitlin collected donations for CKR including a portion of the proceeds from every book sold and 13 books which were donated directly to the Reading Room. Cosette Goes to the County is now for sale directly through the author, and in stores throughout PEC including Books and Company. For every copy of Cosette Goes to the County that you purchase, a donation will be made to CKR. Caitlin is a big supporter of children’s literacy, spreading the gift of stories, and giving back to the community that has been the foundation of her first published book.

To order your copy directly from the author, messages can be sent through Facebook/Instagram @caitlinnicoleevans, or email Caitlin at caitlinnicoleevans@gmail.com. Local delivery is included, and books can be signed by the author and Cosette, the star herself!

Get your paws on a copy of the book & support CKR . . .