Chapter AA PEO Sisterhood and many of its individual members recently donated funds to the Lincoln County Home and Community Association to help support the Merrill Reading Buddies program (formerly Bookworms). Entering its 13th year, the Reading Buddies program will, again, provide 8 books free of charge to each of the preschool children at MAPS Head Start and Parkside Preschool. The books are read and given to the children each month from October through May by over 50 volunteer reader/mentors to promote a love of reading and an enthusiasm for learning in years to come.

Beginning this year, the Reading Buddies program will include a listing of all donors inside the front cover of each distributed book. The 2010-2011 Merrill benefactors include: MAPS Head Start, Parkside Preschool, Merrill Teacher’s Assoc., Merrill Optimits, Merrill Evening Lions, Beta Sigma Phi Council, Church Mutual Insurance, Todd & Renea Frederick, Merrill Rotary, Lincoln Community Bank, Gerald & Charmaine Whitburn, Chapter AA PEO Sisterhood, Strasman Electric, The Study Class, Social Topics Club, Bill & Carol Weber, Kathryn Spencer, Jan Neale, Laurie Johnston, Jill Moore, Maggie Marquis, Elaine Roskos, Three Wishes, Trantow Do-it Center, Richardson Photography, In Memory of Sarah Schwartz from Capt. Ray & Verna Schwartz, In Memory of Richard Taylor from Kent & Sue Johnson, In Honor of Jerri Bloechl’s Birthday from Arlene Schulze, Judi Weaver, Kathy Brizek, Rita Ruge, Ruth Charbius, Betty Ann Tubbin, Elaine Tabor, Sharon Marzynski, Mary Ann Crosby, Dee Taylor and Judy Weaver.