Those who follow Ferst Readers on social media are able to enjoy appearances throughout October from a variety of characters. There are 13 individuals or teams competing to raise money for the non-profit, which provides books for local preschoolers.

  Some of the characters are from children’s literature, such as “Fancy Nancy,” “Diary of a Wimpy Kid” and the “Cat in the Hat” (with friends Thing One, Two and Three).  Others are more well known from film, like Dorothy and Toto from the “Wizard of Oz,” Captain Jack Sparrow, Dr. Grant from “Jurassic Park,” Belle from “Beauty and the Beast” and Wonder Woman.

  Other participants include King George III from the musical “Hamilton,” the infamous Bonnie and Clyde and television’s “Pink Panther.” More unique local characters are the Scream Machine and the Servpro Hero. The contestants are using photos and videos online to promote reading and to encourage viewers to donate.

  Viewers will be able to vote for their favorite character with a $10 donation. Viewers may vote as many times as they like, for as many contestants as they wish. 

The Ferst Character Contest will be on Facebook and Instagram through Halloween, under the pages of Ferst Readers of Henry County. Ferst enrolls local preschoolers and mails them an age-appropriate book every month to promote literacy and readiness for kindergarten.

  “We currently serve about 2000 Henry County children from infancy to age five,” says Doris Griffin, chair of the local Ferst board. “We want to be able to continue enrolling new babies and sending out books without interruption.

  “Like most non-profits, we have suffered the loss of some of our usual fund-raising activities because of the pandemic,” she adds. “But we know that it’s more important than ever for families to have books at home to read to their children.”