(Oneida, NY – Dec. 2015) Oneida Public Library starts a merry new tradition with a special Holiday Story Party just for preschool children and their parents or guardians on Thursday, Dec. 10 at 10 a.m. in the library’s Meeting Room.
Youth Librarian and storyteller Michele Ryan plays host for the event, ably assisted by some small furry friends from Wanderers’ Rest Humane Association in Canastota. Joining them will be guest performer Jim O’Mahoney, pianist and jazz musician,z who will play children’s seasonal favorites on the piano.
Later in the party some special guests in red costumes will arrive to bring cheer and surprises pulled from a big red sack. Refreshments are being provided by the Friends of Oneida Public Library.
Guests may also wish to help decorate the OPL’s Giving Tree. This year, the Giving Tree is dedicated to two good causes: the Dolly Parton Imagination Library for the preschool set and Wanderers’ Rest. For a dollar each, a donor can purchase an ornament decorated with the cover of one of the picture books in the Imagination Library or one with the imprint of a dog’s paw indicating Wanderers’ Rest.
Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library, funded in part by the Dolly Parton Foundation and by local donations, provides preschoolers from birth to four years of age with a free age-appropriate picture book once a month sent by mail. On the local level, for every $30.00 in donations to cover postage and handling costs, a child can receive one full year’s worth of books.
A recent study done by researchers at LeMoyne College followed preschool recipients of Imagination Library books in Onondaga County over a three-year period and concluded that 61 percent of those children were ready for kindergarten when initially tested by the schools versus 47 percent of the preschool population not receiving free books.
Wanderers’ Rest Humane Association gives food and shelter to more than a thousand unwanted or stray dogs and cats in Madison County, all of which can be adopted by responsible pet owners.
The Holiday Story Party is free and open to all preschoolers and their parents or guardians.
For more information, stop by the Oneida Library, 220 Broad St. or call 363-3050 and ask for Michele Ryan.