Representatives from Ferst Readers of Henry County were among more than 60 leaders and Community Action Team members from Georgia, Alabama and Florida who met at Southern Crescent Technical College in Griffin for their annual CAT summit this fall.

The CAT summit is where Ferst Readers teams network, plan for future community engagement efforts and fundraising, and celebrate successes.

“Community Action Teams are the lifeblood of Ferst Readers,” says Ferst President Davida Morgan Washington. “They are the dedicated volunteers who raise money, who sign up local children to receive books and who, ultimately, raise up their communities by encouraging early literacy development starting at birth. Having a time and place for them to meet in person, love on each other and share ideas is critical to achieving our mission.”

Children in the 23-year-old Ferst Readers literacy program receive a bookstore-quality and age-specific book along with a parent resource letter in the mail every month until their fifth birthday. Henry County has mailed more than 250,000 books since its inception. The cost is $40 per child per year, and funding comes from donations, corporate sponsorships and foundation grants.

For more information or to donate locally, go to www.ferstreadershenry.org.