Youth literacy project earns Ladies Auxiliary state recognition

   President of the Matthew Cleary Post Ladies Auxiliary, Debbie Davis, presented the Caledonia-Mumford School Board of Education with the state recognition plaque they earned for their support of literacy among elementary students.

   The ladies auxiliary teamed with Librarian Mary Burns and the elementary student council, under the advisement of Jayne Daley, to create Bedtime, Books and Quilts, a full day dedicated to literacy and the spirit of community service. The project earned the ladies auxiliary the Evelyn Sheldon Award, which will be displayed in the elementary school library.

   The project included several stations where student council members read a book to each first through fifth grade class as they visited the auditorium. The students wore their pajamas to school that day and after the reading time, each one took part in a placing their handprint and fingerprint on a flag quilt that would eventually go to recuperating soldiers at Walter Reed Army Medical Center. The children’s red and white handprints created the stripes and their fingerprints created the stars. The students wrote messages to the soldiers on the back of each quilt. Several community volunteers spent the entire day at Cal-Mum Elementary School helping the children paint the quilts that were then quilted by women in the community. Davis and her husband, Jake, delivered six quilts to soldiers at Walter Reed, including, Cal-Mum alumnus, Kris Mitchell.

   The project was a complete collaboration between the community, faculty and the students.

   Superintendent of Schools David V. Dinolfo said the ladies auxiliary involvement with the students helps them to see that their academic lessons do make an impact on others.

   "This project is another example of strong community support for our youth," Dinolfo said.