MOULTRIE, Ga. — The United Way of Colquitt County recently celebrated completion of “Colquitt County Child,” a baby book project funded by a United Way Community Impact Grant.

The book was conceived by Janet Sheldon, director of the Colquitt County Family Connection, in 2018. Its purpose was to promote early literacy and family interaction. The grant of $24,000 was awarded in March 2022.

“Janet Sheldon wrote and created this book to interest the entire family, with the focus on teaching the alphabet, letters and words at an early stage of child development,” according to a press release from the United Way. “Each letter represents a feature of Colquitt County and has watercolor photographs and illustrations with a fun rhyme to be read to the child. All letters connect back to the community; for example, A is for Arts Center; D is for Diving; H is for hospital, and many other correlations that promote community awareness, not only for the adult but for the children. There is also a fun fact about our community and there are tips for parents to better engage with their child.”

In addition to the United Way of Colquitt County’s grant, the book benefited from contributed ideas and expertise from Dr. Mo Yearta, a retired educator, and from Amanda Beaty, Betty Carithers, Kim Yarbrough, Sarah Adams and UGA Archway’s Youth Development Task Force, and Erin Huneycutt, children’s librarian of the Moultrie-Colquitt County library.

Erin Ricks, owner and designer at Red Clay Graphics, collaborated with Sheldon to turn photographs into cohesive watercolor illustrations and has done fantastic graphic design work, the press release said.

“We are thrilled to see this project come to completion with the hope of spurring a love for reading books and gaining community knowledge at an early age,” said United Way Director Caroline Horne. “Community Impact Grants are a great way to start a project or initiative that will fill the gaps or target specific issues our community may face! We are currently offering another round of these grants, and applications are available on our website at www.uwccga.org/communityimpact .”

“Colquitt County Child” will be distributed by Colquitt Regional Medical Center to mothers when babies are taken home. Copies will also be available for checkout at the Moultrie library.

For more information on these books, contact Sheldon by email at cc.familyconnection@gmail.com or by phone at (229) 224-2536. 

For more information on grant opportunities, contact Horne at caroline@uwccga.org or (229) 985-2627.