The Wisconsin Bookworms program is celebrating its 15th anniversary this year. The educational program has been in Shawano County for more than 10 years through the efforts of Linda Olson, retired University of Wisconsin-Extension Famil y Living educator.
“One person who has worked hard to get this program in Shawano is Linda Olson,” said Sandy Wendorff, who is the Shawano coordinator and co-coordinator for eight other counties.
Wisconsin Bookworms is a program sponsored by Home and Community Education (HCE) in partnership with the University of Wisconsin-Extension and Wisconsin Public Television.
The program strives to give children a lifelong interest in reading by discovering good books and realizing the benefits of reading. Many volunteers have read to the children at the Bear Cubs Daycare Center in Bonduel and Shawano Head Start. With more volunteers and more funds, they could expand to help other children.
“We could branch out,” Wendorff said. “We could do other day cares.”
At the state conference in Manitowoc on Sept. 9-11, Shawano County HCE will be honored for its 10 years of Wisconsin Bookworms along with four women who have been readers for all those years — Sharon Breitenfeldt, Helen Raddant, Micki Thelen and Wendorff.
The program provides eight free books per year to a child who might not have access to books. Currently there are 35 children in the Shawano program. Each book comes with an activity sheet with suggestions and ideas germane to the story for the family to do together.
This summer when Wendorff was with her two grandsons at summer school, a little girl recognized her and said, “There’s the Book Lady!”
Those kinds of instances give Wendorff more motivation to help children.
“I told the HCE members even if I’m in a wheelchair I’m going to read to those kids,” Wendorff said.
The Early Literacy program started in 1998 with 16,500 books distributed to Wisconsin children. Now more than 620,000 books have been given to nearly 37,000 children.
The Shawano program has helped 404 kids who have been given 3,361 books in the past decade.
There are eight books to a set, at a cost of $23 per set. HCE members work the Little Red Barn at Charlie’s County Market and have bake sales to raise money to buy the books.
“Many of our HCE members are involved in this project, from reading to the children or working to raise money for the books, making it a very successful program,” Wendorff said.
The local Wisconsin Bookworms will have a booth in the Junior Fair Building at the Shawano County Fair.
For more information, call Wend orff at 715-851-5584 or Nancy Schultz, Family Living educator, at 715-526-6136.
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