The events for Clinton County Reads 2018 have been set at local libraries and the General Denver Hotel, starting March 12 and culminating April 11 with a dinner and presentation by Curt Bradshaw, coordinator of Gifted Services for the Southern Ohio Educational Service Center.
Bradshaw will speak about “Working as a Community to Prevent Our Kids From Falling Through the Cracks.”
Presentations and discussions, starting with a March 12 kickoff with educator Joyce Kelly at Jen’s Deli, can assist anyone trying to make sense of the most recent school shootings and those that have happened for decades.
Copies of the 2018 Clinton County Reads book choice, “A Mother’s Reckoning,” by Sue Klebold, are available at the event’s sponsoring locations: the Blanchester Public Library, the Sabina Public Library and its New Vienna branch, the Wilmington Public Library and its Clinton-Massie branch, and locally owned booksnmore.org.
“A Mother’s Reckoning” is a devastating memoir by Sue Klebold, the mother of Columbine shooter Dylan Klebold. Sue Klebold has tried to make sense of an unthinkable tragedy while reminding readers that there are different, complicated perspectives on terrible events, no matter how barbaric.
Book proceeds have benefited the following charitable organizations: Mental Health America, National Alliance on Mental Illness, American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, American Association of Suicidology, and Brain & Behavior Research Foundation.
“At times her story is so chilling you want to turn away, but Klebold’s compassion and honesty — and realization that parents and institutions must work to discover kids’ hidden suffering — will keep you riveted,” wrote Caroline Laevitt of People magazine.
Events surrounding the Clinton County Reads choice of “A Mother’s Reckoning,” all open to the public, are:
• March 12 kickoff/discussion with educator Joyce Kelly at 7 p.m. at Jen’s Deli, 28 W. Main St. in Wilmington.
• March 19 presentation, “School Safety,” at 6:30 p.m. by Eric Magee, superintendent of East Clinton Local Schools, at the New Vienna Branch Library.
• March 20 program, at 7 p.m., “Taking Action to Prevent the Next Tragedy,” by Annie Stephens at Blanchester Public Library. Stephens is the Ohio Outreach Coordinator for the Sandy Hook Promise, a national nonprofit organization founded and led by several family members whose loved ones were killed at Sandy Hook Elementary School on Dec. 14, 2012.
• March 22 program at 6:30 p.m., “Be Alert — Stay Safe,” by Sgt. Ron Fithen, an officer with the Wilmington Police Department, at the Wilmington Public Library. Fithen will discuss situational awareness and safety in public spaces.
• March 23 book discussion at 10:30 a.m. at the Sabina Public Library.
• April 4 book discussion at 6:30 p.m. at the Wilmington Public Library.
• April 5 book discussion at 7 p.m. at the Blanchester Public Library.
• April 11 dinner will be held at 6 p.m. at the General Denver in Wilmington, 81 W. Main St. Curt Bradshaw will speak about “Working as a Community to Prevent Our Kids From Falling Through the Cracks.” Bradshaw is the coordinator of Gifted Services for the Southern Ohio Educational Service Center.
Pre-dinner social time, featuring a cash bar, will begin at 5:30 p.m. Reservations for the dinner are required by April 5; call 383-4141. The $15 per-person cost will include dinner, beverage, dessert, and gratuity.
