Editor, Thanks to the generosity and love of books of the students at area schools, including Jordye Bacon, Joseph Martin, Button Gwinnett and Taylors Creek elementary schools, hundreds more children of military families will get brand-new books the next time they go to their pediatrician at Winn Army Community Hospital on Fort Stewart.
That’s because the students at those schools and several others in the area participate in Scholastic’s book donation program, ClassroomsCare, which encourages students nationwide to read and help support families who have sacrificed so much for our country. This spring, for every 50 books that a participating classroom reads, Scholastic donates of beautiful new children’s books to Reach Out and Read, the school readiness program that partners with doctors to provide books to young patients and encourage families to read together every day.  
 Fort Stewart is one of 35 U.S. military bases that provides the Reach Out and Read program to all children ages 6 months through 5 years, and will receive more than 3,000 books this summer through the ClassroomsCare program.  Reading aloud to children can help them cope with stress and anxiety, so this gift is especially significant for the military families we serve.
On behalf of all the doctors, nurses, service men and women and their families on Fort Stewart, I want to thank the students and teachers at Jordye Bacon, Joseph Martin, Button Gwinnett and Taylors Creek elementary schools for supporting such a worthy cause and for sharing their love of books and reading with other children.