Frances Barnes believes that things happen for a reason. This is her story:
“When in kindergarten, my middle son brought home a book he had made and was so excited because he could read it to me. It was his version of Brown Bear, Brown Bear. I have never forgotten the excitement and pride in his voice as he “read” it to me. Fast forward 22 years and I’m reading that same story to his son and watching his joy and excitement as we turn each page. Then I listened to a podcast about Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library and how she sends a book a month to any child, from birth to 5 years, born in the US and now in Canada. I wanted to somehow combine these ideas.”
Enter Heather Bach and the Health Foundation. After a coffee and discussion, they came up with a way to do this. Frances orders the books and delivers them to the Health Foundation office. The books are stickered and taken to the maternity ward to be gifted to every new mom. On the day of the project launch, Frances had the joy of presenting the first 4 books to babies Rosalyn, Eliza, Sullivan, and Magdalena. It was truly heartwarming!
“Reading is a critical skill and reading with your child is such a wonderful way to develop the skill and show your love. It’s a win-win in my books! Thank you to the Health Foundation for providing me with a personalized way to give back to my community.”