Formerly part of the nationwide Ferst Readers organization, which started in nearby Morgan County by delivering new, age-appropriate books to young schoolchildren each month, Putnam Reads recently broke away to partner with Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library, which provides a similar service.
“For over 20 years, we had sent books through Ferst Readers, and they had their national office in Madison until about a year and a half ago. But then they closed the Madison office,” Cathy Mize of Putnam Reads recalled.
Unfortunately, troubles with mailing through the U.S. Postal Service also arose, making book delivery uncertain and creating doubt and strife within the 40-strong volunteer force of what was then known as Putnam Ferst Readers.
“So, we decided to form an executive board beginning in January 2024,” Mize explained. “I became convinced and decided that investigating a 501c3 for ourselves was the thing to do.”
Mize added that officials at the Georgia Writers Museum in Eatonton were instrumental and “very helpful” in explaining and encouraging her to apply for nonprofit status for Putnam Reads. With local attorney Christine Holmes of the Putnam County magistrate’s office and her sister Caroline Davis, a Gatewood schoolteacher, on its board, the organization avoided costly legal fees.
“We got other people’s articles of incorporation and modeled after them and just went through the different steps,” said Mize, a former middle school literacy and social studies teacher in Putnam County for 17 years. “And for several years, virtually the entire time I was involved in Ferst, we’ve been allowed to ask the public school system employees if they wanted to make payroll deductions [to support the program].
“Well, they (school system employees) had signed up for payroll deduction to be sent to Ferst through August of last year, so we talked with incoming superintendent Derick Austin, and he was perfectly happy for us when school started back to continue to solicit as Putnam Reads.”
Mize explained that the new organization also waited until after the school employees’ payroll deduction obligations to Ferst Readers ended to request those contributions back. Putnam Reads then approached Ferst to keep them within the county.
She admits to being prepared for a legal fight, but after little objection from Ferst Readers, the new Putnam Reads organization received a sizable nest egg to renew operations officially.
“Once we had the money back, it was time to say, ‘Okay, do we want to continue sending books with Ferst at this time, or do we want to go to the Dolly Parton Imagination Library?’ So, we voted to go with the Dolly Parton Imagination Library in November,” Mize said.
She added that only one on the 11-member board voted to remain with Ferst Readers, and that vote was based on a concern about reaching all children previously served by the book-a-month program.
So, Ferst Readers will continue to send books to all registered Putnam County children through this April before Putnam Reads’ partnership with Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library officially begins this summer.
“So, we’re learning about how they do things and getting ready to do that,” Mize said. “But if we keep the current enrollment, we will save over $10,000 annually. And that’s good.”