Community Baby Shower Success

            Calhoun County Library hosted its second community baby shower the last Sunday in September to celebrate parents in our community.

            We were excited to host our second Community Baby Shower on Sunday, September 25, 2022, from 3 PM until 5 PM. Babies are such a joy and we want a happy community with healthy babies. The Calhoun County Library and supporting partners throughout our county want to make sure every child is welcomed home with all the necessities. Therefore, we gifted each family with diapers, wipes, a bib, a reading calendar, and five brand-new board books to start the baby’s home library. Not only do we want to provide some necessary items, but we also want to connect our parents with the many resources we have in our community. Our partners, Calhoun County First Steps, DHEC/WIC, SafeKids, and Family Health Centers, are valuable assets to these families, and this shower is the first time many of these parents are learning about each organization’s wealth of knowledge and support. Attendees enjoyed a lunch followed by cupcakes while listening and learning about newborns with various professionals from our community. 

            Javonna Lewis, Cassidy Gleaton, and Quinetta Garner attended representing Calhoun County First Steps. Donna Williams and Latasha Priester were representatives of DHEC/WIC. LaShayla Vernable, Dr. Sandra J. Stephens, and James Rickenbaker were representatives of Family Health Center.   Patricia Funderburk, a representative of SafeKids, supplied gift bags for the parents.  All of these community professionals provided essential information to our expectant or new parents as well as relevant answers during our question and answer sessions.

            The community baby shower welcomed 30 attendees, which included 13 expectant or new mamas. Parents had the opportunity to sign up for the library’s 1,000 Books Before Kindergarten program and for First Steps’ Dolly Parton Imagination Library program. These two programs expose infants and toddlers to books and the love of reading by celebrating reading milestones and by providing a free book delivered to each child’s home every month.

            The Calhoun County Library would like to thank everyone who came as attendees, volunteers, staff, speakers, and supporters. Thank you to our community members who graciously donated baby items for door prizes. We were thrilled to be part of this community project and we look forward to the next baby shower!

            This project is made possible by a Library Services and Technology Act grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services administered by the South Carolina State Library.