Tyler and Miranda Fox, of Cadillac, enrolled their newborn, Mallory, into the Books from Birth program.
Tiny Mallory Fox, all 7 pounds and 15 ounces of her, will get a book in the mail next month – “The Little Engine that Could.”
Mallory’s parents, Tyler and Miranda Fox of Cadillac enrolled their Halloween-born baby in the Dolly Parton Imagination Library’s Books from Birth program that launched today in the five-county region served by Munson Medical Center. She will receive a book every month until her fifth birthday.
“This is a great collaboration between Munson Medical Center, Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library Grand Traverse Region, and the Traverse Baby Sunrise Rotary’s Born to Read program to create this Books from Birth campaign,” said Nickie Matters, R.N., nursing director for Women’s and Children’s Services at Munson Medical Center. “We’re excited to be part of promoting literacy and the love of books for these little ones.”
“When I was growing up in the hills of East Tennessee, I knew my dreams would come true. I know there are children in your community with their own dreams,” she said. “The seeds of these dreams are often found in books and the seeds you help plant in your community can grow across the world.”
Children in the five-county area served by Munson Medical Center are eligible for enrollment in the program. The Sunrise Rotary has provided enough funding for the first year.
Books from Birth Campaign Chairperson, Bob Robbins, said the program works through donations, but is completely free for enrolled families in Grand Traverse, Antrim, Benzie, Kalkaska, and Leelanau counties.
“During the first few years of life, parents are the architect of their baby’s brain,” he said. “Research shows that babies who are read to early in their life benefit when it comes to learning to read for themselves.”
Tyler Fox said the family already has a few books, but when learning about the program they were excited to enroll.
“I thought it would be great for her to get books every single month,” he said. “With luck, she will love reading.”
To learn more about how to support the program or enroll a child, visit: dpil-gtregion.org.