Community Calendar

Join us Friday, August 17 at 2 p.m. for the launch of the Books for Baby Project at Effingham Public Library in the Youth Services Department.

The Books for Baby project is:

• A first board book given to all the babies born at HSHS St. Anthony's Hospital over the next 12 months
• An invitation given to new parents to attend Effingham Public Library's weekly story time 
• A community investment in early literacy skills

Books for Baby is a collaborative response to the recent findings by the Effingham County Health Department in its Community Health Profile Report that 54.2% of Effingham County fourth grade students tested below the “proficient” level for Reading Proficiency.

“This indicator is especially relevant to Effingham and its future population since an inability to read English well is linked to poverty, unemployment, and barriers to healthcare access,” according to the profile report by the health department.  

Collaborators in this project are:  HSHS St. Anthony's Hospital, Family Care Associates, Koboldt Trust and Effingham Public Library.

Representatives from all of these organizations will be at the launch.

We hope you can join us next Friday, and we look forward to talking with you about this beneficial project!