Mentor Library, Lake Health team to help new parents and create new readers

Nichole Luzar shows a board book to her newborn, Lylah Kitchen. Mentor Public Library and Lake Health have partnered for the Born to Read program, which provides a free board book, bib and feeding spoon to new parents.

A life of learning and literacy doesn’t begin when a child (or adult) starts reading. It begins when someone reads to the child.

Creating young readers has long been one of Mentor Public Library’s goals. Now it has teamed with Lake Health for a new program called Born to Read that encourages early literacy.

“The Born to Read partnership is an opportunity to congratulate new parents and introduce our early-literary services for a new generation of readers,” said Lynn Hawkins, MPL’s executive director.

With Born to Read, the parents of every infant born at Lake Health TriPoint Medical Center will receive a bookmark.

They can take that bookmark to the Mentor Public Library’s Main Branch and receive a free Born to Read bag with a bib, feeder and board book for the newborn child.

“Reading creates a special bonding experience that parents can start even when the child is an infant. It helps build a language rich environment that enhances the child’s speech and development,” said Lake Health pediatrician, Dr. Laura Cifra-Bean.

“Early literacy is important to Mentor Public Library,” Hawkins added. “As one of our strategic-plan service responses, we want make sure kids start reading early and keep learning their entire lives.”

The board books are from Scholastic’s Baby Faces series, specifically because newborns until their fourth month are especially attracted to faces and images of faces.

The Born to Read program would not be possible without the support of generous donors, Hawkins said. Lake Health donated the feeders, and Friends of the Mentor Public Library and other anonymous donors paid for the bags, books and bibs.

The library encourages early literacy other ways, also. It hosts story times for children of all ages, including toddlers, preschoolers and whole families.

For more information, call the Mentor Public Library at (440) 255-8811 ext. 213.

Learn what you need to get a job at Lake Health

Applying for a new job can be intimidating.

For example, consider Lake Health. It's one of the biggest employers in the county; and you might be qualified to join them, even if you're not a doctor.

But you might be intimidated to apply there, especially if you don't already know someone who works at Lake Health.

Fortunately, you can get insight you need from Cathy Araps, a nurse recruiter at Lake Heath, during the next Career Coffee Talk on Feb. 20 at Mentor Public Library's Main Branch.

Araps has been with Lake Health since 1986.

During her Coffee Talk, she will explain how to go into Lake Health's online application system, look for a position and apply for it.

"We no longer take any paper applications," Araps said. "It's all done electronically."

Anyone who has considered working for Lake Health should come to her Career Coffee Talk.

The talk is free and open to the public. You can register for it on Mentor Public Library's web site.

Career Coffee Talks is a series of monthly informal talks designed to help people get the tools they need to help them find the career they want. The series is spearheaded by Ohio Means Jobs Lake County and hosted by Mentor Public Library.

Click here to see what tips Charlene Long offered on resume and interview preparation at last month's Career Coffee Talk. Long is the Talent Acquisition Specialist for Progressive Insurance.