Stronger Together
Linking arms with the community to strengthen our kiddos and spread awareness is our favorite thing! Over the years, we have found so many wonderful community partners that want to pour into our families and kiddos but often struggle with the how. When planning respite events, we like to reach out to community members or businesses to come to our events as “guest speakers” for the kids to enjoy. When we can introduce a new thing in a safe space it’s less scary for our kiddos who have a hard time with change and transitions.
Our content creator, Kaylann Yankie, reached out to MidPointe Library at Liberty last fall to see if they would be interested in coming to an upcoming event and after just one Parent’s Night Out, they asked to come to ALL events slated for the programming year! They loved the kids, resonated with our mission and really wanted to be a catalyst for change in our community.
Since our partnership began last fall, MidPointe Library has been a special guest at 12 different events this year including Parent’s Day & Night Out, Thrive Night and family fun events like the Holiday Shoppe and the Easter Eggstravaganza! At each event they read a story that relates to our theme and have a craft to pair with it. They do this story time rotation four times at each event with four different groups of kiddos. It’s always a HUGE hit!
This spring we’ve had the pleasure of working with John! He just started working with Midpointe in January 2023 but has been around libraries his whole life, even before he was paid for it! John shared, “My mother was our local children's librarian, and my grandmother and father were both elected members of the Friends of the Library when I was growing up, so I helped shelve on weekends and run book sales as soon as I knew my ABCs. Libraries are forever my second home.” Outside of libraries and books, he sumo wrestles, writes, performs, publishes poetry and acts. John recently played Caliban in The Tempest at the Rutherford B. Hayes Presidential Library & Museum! Wow!
Let’s get to know John a bit better!
Why did you choose MidPointe?
I chose to work for Liberty specifically for the unique opportunities it offered like starting a Spanish story time, working in a mall, and partnering with amazing groups like Pause. I have always sought work that allows me to give back to the more overlooked and underserved members of our communities.
Why is reading important to you? Why do you think reading is important for our kids?
Reading has always been a part of who I am. But "why?" is an interesting question. I think a big reason is because it's magic! With reading, we get to share dreams and stories and knowledge and ideas and feelings with people who aren't even there or who might not be anywhere any longer at all. And it really is sharing because when we read their words, we get ideas and have feelings of our own and this feeds our curiosity. And that's as important for Pause kids as any other kid because their curiosity and feelings and ideas are just as important as any other kids.
Why did you choose to partner with Pause to serve special needs families?
The funny thing is, by virtue of being individuals who have needs, we all have special needs. And it seems weird to me that some people get to have those needs met more easily than others when we could all be working to meet everyone's needs. I think that what Pause does is incredible, and I know that my family members who've already raised their kids with special needs would have been so much happier doing so with the help of a group like Pause. So, it makes me happy that I at least get to help a little, now.
Did you feel like you make an impact on families with extra needs when you come to Pause?
I think the thing that I specifically bring to Pause when I visit isn't just a story but the opportunity to swap stories. I have no problem stopping reading to hear a quick rant and I love sitting with a child during craft time and asking questions. The respite that Pause gives to the parents and families of these kids is already impactful and I'm just lucky I get to be a part of that. Caregiver fatigue is real even if society often treats it as invisible or as some kind of noble burden to be taken on alone when it shouldn't be either. As communities, we can all do more to help.
John and all our friends at MidPointe Library at Liberty - thank you SO much for the dedication, kindness and love you have for our Pause families. We are so thankful to link arms and grow in this partnership together!
This is CAN DO. This is COMMUNITY. This is YOUR SUPPORT.
