``We know the single-most important skill that any person can acquire in their lifetime is the ability to read. Reading opens up endless possibilities for people to grow and become anything they desire to be. As a career-educator, my colleagues and I make it our mission to provide the basis for all students to be able to read on grade level and above each year they are in school. However, we know the ability to read starts before students even step foot inside of one of our classrooms. Successful readers have their foundation laid at home, but not every family has access to quality reading materials for our youngest learners. Enter the Ferst Foundation of Henry County. Now known as the Ferst Readers of Henry County, this organization is going above and beyond to make sure children in Henry County have access to books and other literacy support at the earliest ages in order for these young learners to be able to enter school ready to excel. No child should be void of opportunities to read or be read to prior to starting school. No child should be limited in their access to quality reading materials for any reason. The Ferst Readers of Henry County works diligently to make sure neither scenario happens, and we could not be more grateful for their efforts. There are many community partners who support their efforts, and we are proud to be partners, too. Our schools and district leaders have backed the efforts of the Ferst Foundation for many years, and efforts to provide financial support through fundraisers and awareness campaigns continues to prove pivotal for the organization's sustained success. I am so proud to live in a community that values the importance of reading and early childhood literacy, and I am proud to be a supporter of this outstanding organization alongside business and community leaders who have the same values and hopes for our future generations.``

``My name is Felicia and I am a mom of three with an infant that's 4 months old. I wanted to reach out and say thank you. I currently live in Henry county and just recently began receiving our books from the Ferst Readers program! I am so happy to be a part of this program. I was a single mom for years before I met my husband and moved to Georgia. I am from Washington, D.C., and as a teen mom, taking my boys to the library and reading with them was the only free gift I could give them. We would spend hours at the library just reading and exploring. This gift has allowed my 3rd grader to be an exceptional reader and my 7th grader to also score so high on reading tests. Reading has allowed me to give them something that some children in my community don't get--the opportunity to imagine and dream. Now that I have a new baby I have opened this door for her as well. I'm just so excited to get a book for my baby girl every month to add to our home library. Thank you so much for this resource! Have a great day on purpose!``

``My daughter was a recipient of Ferst books. She is now in the 10th grade and loves to read. She aspires to be an actress and I think this is due to her love of the narrative. As a 6th grader, my daughter was chosen as the Georgia Reader of the Year for middle schools. I believe her early introduction to books through Ferst Readers had a major impact on her reading success. Going to the mailbox to retrieve the books each month is a memory we both cherish. I am paying it forward. My school has a lofty goal this year to fundraise for Ferst Readers. We hope to lead the way in Henry County!``

``The goal of the Taylor Family Foundation is to help nonprofits build a strong collective voice and impact in their communities. We look for inspirational organizations that embody the values and beliefs at the core of the Taylor Family. We are proud to support the FERST Readers program by providing books to children. The Taylor Family Foundation understands the importance of early childhood education. We will continue to help our local FERST Readers chapter to reach their goal of providing a book to every child under the age of five.``

``I am a middle school teacher and a Ferst Champion at my school. I?ve seen first-hand how an early and solid foundation in reading paves the way for a child to succeed in school and beyond. Sadly, I?ve seen the results of a poor foundation as well. In 2017-18, I assigned a large project to students in my Literacy classes. I wanted to expose them to charitable causes and philanthropy in general. Specifically, I wanted them to learn about Ferst Readers. They were tasked with researching Ferst and planning and implementing a school-wide fundraiser. My students studied the ferstreaders.org website, learned about the importance of early exposure to books, and discovered the effort right here in Henry County to provide free books to all preschool children. They created posters, sold tickets to a dance during the last week of the school year, and at the dance, they spoke to a minimum of three peers about the organization. By the end of the dance, they managed to raise over $1000 for Ferst Readers!``

``Heritage Bank supports the Ferst Readers because, through its efforts to provide books to young children, it helps foster a quest for knowledge, the cultivation of language skills, the discovery of new and different worlds and stimulates a sense of diversity in the youth of tomorrow.``