Andrews – Awards were given for students participating in the sixth annual Black History Month reading challenge sponsored by One Dozen Who Care on Friday at the Andrews Public Library.
Nantahala Regional Library once again partnered with One Dozen Who Care for the annual reading
challenge for children from kindergarten through 12th grade held during African-American History Month in February.
A total of $370 was awarded to 23 participating students from the Cherokee, Clay and Graham county School Systems along with homeschool students who read a total of 74 books.
Kristen George, member of One Dozen Who Care once again presented the awards to those present at the ceremony which included a certificate of completion and the monetary award of $5 per book read.
George praised the students and likened their reading of the collection to both “mirrors and windows, since when you read books about people familiar to you, you are using a mirror and when you read about those who differ from you, you are looking through a window and it takes both to portray and relate to accurate reflections of ourselves and others.”
George thanked the students and family present and also thanked ODWC founder Ann Miller Woodford, whose father is the inspiration for the collection, and detailed a bit of Purel Miller’s legacy in Cherokee County. Woodford thanked students for their participation for continuing the tradition of fostering understanding through literacy, saying they are “the generation who will honor their elders’ legacies and share with the world to remember.”
Other ODWC members present included the chairwoman of the book collection, Janel Agyeman and Executive Director Sarah Hardman. Youth services librarian Bridget Wilson and Andrews library branch manager Jacqueline Hulse also attended, signing the certificates and congratulating students.
Light refreshments were served and family members in attendance also enjoyed perusing the stacks of the collection, which can be accessed year-round in the Purel Miller African-American Book Collection, permanently housed at the library.
This annual reading challenge encourages and promotes the collection to celebrate African-American heritage each February and also includes history local to Cherokee, Clay and Graham counties.
Details: Visit onedozenwhocare.org.