‘Sewing army’ answers call from Sarnia-area literacy project

A legion of volunteers armed with needles and thread answered a call to help a Sarnia-area project providing an early start to encouraging literacy.

Baby Bookworms gives parents of newborns delivered at Bluewater Health a board book for babies, along with information about local parenting programs and resources, tucked into a locally hand-sewn cloth bag.

The project launched in January and is led by Literacy Lambton, a Sarnia-based charity providing literacy learning opportunities for Lambton County residents.

“I’m not going to lie,” said executive director Tracy Pound. “I was very worried about bags.”

The idea of ​​using hand-sewn bags came up during project planning meetings with representatives of the hospital’s maternal infant child department.

“I thought maybe that was too lofty of a goal, but what I’m learning quickly about Sarnia Lambton is that there is no such thing as too lofty of a goal,” Pound said.

Sewing help “came out of the woodwork” and hundreds of bags have already been made, she said.

“There are a lot of people who really want to be involved in a volunteer capacity, but don’t always know how,” Pound said. “This is just a really easy way you can get together with girls and guys in your circle.”

Some get together and make the bags in assembly lines, she said. “Somebody will go and somebody cuts, and it comes together quickly.”

Pound said she thinks of the program as “a community hug” for families of newborns,

Her “sewing army” volunteers include Stephanie Abercombie, Monica Kennedy, Cindy Dowdle, Jane Anema, Pat Cooper, Ruth Johnson, Doreen Frayne, Kathryn Wierenga, Margaret Hoekstra and Judy Forbes.

“There’s a group out at the Inwood library that are on the task,” she added, and volunteers at the Corunna Legion.

“You can’t even imagine the delight of coming into my office on Monday morning and finding a little package of brightly colored bags waiting for me.”

Other Baby Bookworm partners include St. Clair Child and Youth Services, Pathways Health Center for Children, the Family Counseling Centre, Early-ON Child and Family Centers and Lambton Learns.

“Parents are a child’s first and most important teacher” and are encouraged to read to children “right from birth,” Pound said.

That helps create a bond between parents and children, and encouraging youngsters to develop a richer vocabulary while setting them up for more success at school, the agency says.

The project also informs parents about “all of the wrap-around services that exist,” Pound said.

“We really want to see this program embraced by the community for years to come because it is getting parents at ground zero, with their new babies, connecting them to the resources that are here to support them in their journey through parenting,” she said .

Information includes local programs to help with early literacy provided through local libraries and EarlyOn centres, and opportunities to connect with other parents, Pound said.

The initial year of the project is sponsored by Shell, Bluewater Power, the Rotary Club of Sarnia Bluewaterland, Lambton Public Health, Lambton County Library and Sarnia Charitable Gaming – Jackpot City.

Typically, 1,100 to 1,200 babies are born annually at Bluewater Health, she said. Baby Bookworm costs about $18,000 a year.

“This fall I will be looking for new sponsors for 2024” so books can be ordered and information and material gathered from the partners to ensure the program can “be ready to roll for Jan 1,” she said.

For more on Literacy Lambton, visit literacylambton.org.