By Vickie Rhodehamel

Contributing Columnist

STELVIDEO — Darke County’s Stelvideo Junior Grange #216 recently donated and delivered 460 Usborne Books and other all-new books to Dayton Children’s Hospital. This is the third year that the junior grangers have participated in this project; the first year they donated 233 books and last year they donated 335 books.

Junior Grangers at the presentation were: Joey Clopp, Calen Clopp, Moxon Gilpin, Dessie Wolf,and Madelyn Dillon, Owen Davis, Micha Adkins, Jakob Harrison, and Keria Emrick — Deputy Leader Lynne Hinshaw, Junior Leader Susan Gunckle and junior parent, Holly Clopp with future granger, her son, Alex, and Becky O’Connor. Children’s takes the book cart and a snack cart around every afternoon of every day as long as there are enough books. They take the cart to all of the regular rooms plus NICU, plus cancer unit and same-day surgery. There are 178 beds when full.

Kelly Rhodehamel, Director of Volunteer Resources at Dayton Children’s, told them how they like to have it full of fun books for all age groups. Mrs. Rhodehamel reported that all children at the hospital can take a book and keep it, and if they have siblings who are there visiting, they can get a book as well and keep it. The members of the junior grange were able to deliver the books and meet with Mrs. Rhodehamel on March 4. Following the delivery, the group celebrated with a pizza party at Marion’s Piazza.

Additionally, Stelvideo Junior Grange decided to join up with the Junior Grange and Do Parent bags, they did 35 parent bags. These parent bags include, Notebook, Pen, Activity book (crossword, Word -search), Nail files, Hair ties/bobby pins, comb, gum, hard candy, Granola bar, little crystal light packets to put in your water, a Devotional Card, Color post card, couple color pen to color, Lotion, chapstick, hand sanitizer, tissues, some of them had sample size shampoo and conditioner, and a book mark. Each parent bag is noted that it was donated by Stelvideo Grange of Darke County.

This was the first year the group also added the parent bags. In January of 2021, the group had a member of the Jr. Grange get really sick and was admitted to Children’s. The granger’s Mom was not prepared to stay and had nothing but was in her purse/on her back. She suggested that they make parent bags, filled with a lot of the small necessary items that she could have used in her personal situation. The 35 parent bags were taken on the book cart for the parents to take and enjoy when needed.