Graphic provided.
Pictured, a girl reads to an adoptable cat at the Clermont County League for Animal Welfare during the Purrfect Tales: Kids Read to Cats program, a partnership between the League and the Clermont County Public Library. Photo provided.
A popular program that brings students to read to local, homeless cats has now been extended; sign up now to reserve your student’s spot. This summer, the Clermont County Public Library partnered with the League for Animal Welfare for the Purrfect Tales: Kids Read to Cats program, which offers kids 15 minutes to read to cats in one of their kitty rooms, explained Clermont County Public Library Community Engagement Manager Theresa Herron. The program was such a success that the Clermont County Public Library and the League for Animal Welfare have extended it through the rest of the year. Additional dates are: Sept. 10, Oct. 8, Nov. 12, and Dec. 10. Visit the Library’s website to register. Herron explained that the partnership offers kids aged 5-15 a chance to read to adoptable cats, which helps kids practice their reading skills with cats that love to hear stories. The library takes books kids can use to read and later check out, or kids can bring their favorite book from home. Herron shared the resounding success of the program. “All 20 slots usually fill quickly,” she said, adding, “After the May session, one family came back and adopted two cats. Two other families signed up to volunteer for the League. Clermont County Public Library Director Chris Wick echoed Herron’s sentiments about the reading benefits of the program. “It bolsters [the kids’] confidence,” Wick said. To sign up for the Purrfect Tales: Kids Read to Cats program, visit the library’s website at https://clermontlibrary.org/ .