ASHLAND —
Nineteen-month-old Nathan Spears plunged right in when his mother, Jessica Spears of Ashland, encouraged him to get dirty at a recent Toddler Time at Catlettsburg, patting his hands in red paint to create a Valentine in the Hands That Touch a Heart program the Boyd County Public Library sponsors.
The program, in its eighth year, recruits children to create handmade cards to be delivered to U.S. soldiers serving abroad and to local residents of nursing homes.
“It’s a way to make sure that as many people as possible get remembered on that day,” Amanda Gilmore, community relations coordinator for the library, said. “And it teaches children the importance of giving to someone, especially something they make themselves.”
Children trace or paint their hands on the card and decorate it any way they wish, adding their name and a personal message. All ages are welcome to make a card, with parents assisting the very young.
Last year, more than 2,000 cards were made in the program.
The Spearses and other children made cards during Toddler Time at the Catlettsburg branch. The program is new to that branch but all three branches of the library now offer the program for children up to 3. In Catlettsburg, toddlers gather at 10:30 a.m. on Mondays for 20 to 30 minutes of interactive play time. At the main branch in Ashland, the program is at 11:30 a.m. on Fridays at the Kyova branch it’s 1 p.m. Fridays.
Older children also participate in Hands That Touch a Heart.
Sherry Carter, a teacher’s aide at Crabbe Elementary School in Ashland, brought a group of 15 to 18 third-graders to the main branch to decorate cards. The children were a part of the after-school program called Cool Camp.
Carter said she has brought students to the library for other programs, but this was the first time she’d been involved in the Hands That Touch a Heart program. “They got very excited and wanted to make as many (cards) as they could, especially for soldiers,” she said.
Materials for making cards will be available at all three branches until Friday.
LEE WARD can be reached at lward@dailyindependent.com or (606) 326-2661.
Local News
Related Photos
-
Kalli Palmer, right, circulation clerk at the Catlettsburg branch of the Boyd County Public LIbrary, helps Nathan Spears, 19 months, and his mother, Jessica Spears of Ashland, as they make a Hands That Touch a Heart card.
Discussion
Hands-on project
Boyd County Public Library’s valentine project enters its 8th year
- Local News
-
-
Ohio man killed In Lewis County
A motorcyclist from Ohio was killed after crashing on Ky. 59 near Scotts Branch Road on Saturday.
-
TIM PRESTON: Karats, peaches, wings and brews, old couches and new beauty
Weekly business column from Tim Preston.
-
Come on in!
It’s time to grab a towel, some sunscreen and your shades — pools in the Tri-State are nearing their opening dates and are bound to provide some days of fun this summer.
-
Pooches take to the street in Dog Jog
They were running with the big dogs Saturday in Grayson.
-
A Smith Branch Legacy
Six generations of Robinsons have called Smith Branch home.
-
Court battle heating up over stretch of blacktop
The court fight is just heating up over a block-long stretch of blacktop in Grayson.
More parties are piling on in the lawsuit accusing Grayson of passing an illegal ordinance to take ownership of the pavement. -
Regional jails ‘a total failure’
As the debate over a proposal to create a new Northeast Regional Jail Authority continues, some officials with the Big Sandy Regional Detention Center in Paintsville are watching closely.
-
Beshear in West Liberty to help in tornado recovery
State legislatures and Gov. Steve Beshear gathered in West Liberty on Friday to sign three bills that will help in the recovery efforts of the tornado-stricken town.
-
Students get more than a scoop’s share
There’s nothing more refreshing than ice cream on a hot day, and no one knows that better than the principal of Hager Elementary School in Ashland.
-
2 school aides part of drug arrests
Two elementary school aides and three other people were arrested Thursday in a Carter County drug investigation.
- More Local News Headlines
-
Ohio man killed In Lewis County
Beryl Makes Landfall on Florida Coast
UN Blames Syrian Forces for Shelling Houla
Raw Video: Gay Protest Blocked in Moscow
Vatican in Chaos After Butler Arrested for Leaks
Jimmy Carter Endorses Egypt's Election Results
Biden Addresses West Point Graduating Class
Dozens of Children Killed in New Syria Attack
Raw Video: Activists Allege Massacre in Syria
NJ Man Charged With Murder in Death of Patz
Support, Fun for Kids of Fallen Soldiers at Camp
Fugitive Penguin Caught, Returned to Aquarium
50 Years Later, Underground Fire Still Burning
Light Show Transforms Sydney Opera House
Raw Video: Unruly Passenger Restrained in Miami
Raw Video: Robber Uses Drive-thru Window
Raw Video: Dragon Arrives at Space Station
Calif.'s Coronado Named Nation's Best Beach
CEO Salaries Become Sore Issue in Labor Disputes
