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2007

Person of the Year Award

April Stambaugh
April Stambaugh, childbirth educator at PinnacleHealth System, Harrisburg has been a stalwart partner with Born to Read and Dauphin County Library System for more than 10 years. She continues to enthusiastically support DCLS outreach programming during her childbirth classes by including the Born to Read Coordinator in her classes, where a library presence adds inspiration for healthy minds to instruction for healthy bodies. The library’s partnership with a health care agency exactly fulfills the goal of Born to Read and we can’t meet that goal without an entrée into these classes. April has been that gateway and has brought Dauphin County Library System in touch with many hundreds of families in central Pennsylvania at an ideal time – that teachable moment when parents have the time and motivation to learn nursery rhymes and receive books that will delight their babies and set up a pattern for lifelong learning.

Organization of the Year Award

Capital BlueCross
During its annual Leadership Breakfast at the East Shore Area Library in 2007, the Dauphin County Library System introduced the “Capital BlueCross Raising Healthy Children Collection.” With the ideas and advice presented in this collection, parents get help taking the mystery out of raising healthy children and children learn healthy habits from some of their favorite characters including Elmo, Franklin the Turtle, and Blue from Blue’s Clues. The collection is available at all eight libraries and circulation of many of the books has been outstanding. Some of the books in the collection, especially the children’s books, have been borrowed so often that replacement books have been ordered.

Capital BlueCross also sponsored the newest additions to the DCLS Get Caught Reading poster series in 2007. Two new posters were unveiled, featuring Capital BlueCross President & CEO Anita M. Smith, a long-time advocate of the importance of both reading and children’s health. These two posters, along with the posters in the previous series, have been on display at all eight DCLS libraries.

Volunteer of the Year Award

Laurell Tarka

Laurell Tarka started her volunteer job by helping DCLS Born to Read Coordinator Maureen Farley pack and move from Administration to the Madeline L. Olewine Memorial Library. Since then she’s helped initiate a new BTR program “Books for Babies,” at that library, upgraded tired flannel story pieces for library programs and added enhancements – window and wall decorations – to the program room so it looks beautiful and child-inviting! With her help DCLS has been able to do monthly and bimonthly outreach programs on a regular basis. During these programs DCLS gives out quality story extensions that Laurell has made. During the holidays, DCLS distributed felt stockings hand made by Laurell to Harrisburg Hospital, Lourdes House, Grantville Food Pantry, Neighborhood Center and Interfaith Shelter. This has made BTR much more visible in Harrisburg. Laurell is extremely generous in time, talent and resources and is very dedicated to library services in the community.