School book drive honors family's late mother

A literary legacy

Pictured from left are Lawson Principal Patricia Tavenner, JCPS Foundation Executive Director Karen Enloe, and Camille and Eric Weddle. The Weddles presented a check this week to the school from a book drive fundraiser in honor of Eric's mother.
Pictured from left are Lawson Principal Patricia Tavenner, JCPS Foundation Executive Director Karen Enloe, and Camille and Eric Weddle. The Weddles presented a check this week to the school from a book drive fundraiser in honor of Eric's mother.

One local family is honoring its mother with a literacy legacy in the Jefferson City Public Schools district.

Earlier this year, Eric Weddle and his wife, Camille, set off on a mission to fulfill his mother's wishes to expand literacy efforts throughout the school district. As a family, they started the Nancy Gammon Memorial Book Fund, which has evolved into an annual book drive.

Since October 2015, the Weddles worked with Lawson Elementary and the Jefferson City Public Schools Foundation to get the book drive started.

"It was truly a grassroots effort to get this book drive started," Weddle said. "Our plan is to do this for every school in the JCPS district."

On Thursday, Lawson was the recipient of $1,751 to help expand the collection of books held in what the school calls the Lion's Den.

"I look forward to this benefiting not only Lawson Elementary, but the entire district, because the partnership that we have is a blessing," Lawson Principal Patricia Tavenner said.

Tavenner said a literacy set of six books will be purchased for students at all grade levels, starting at kindergarten through fifth grade.

"From a district's perspective, the book drive is a very new and targeted way of looking at raising funds," Mallory McGowin, a JCPS spokeswoman, said. "It is such a great example for people who are looking to carry on a legacy for someone with their family."

Donations were collected from local community members and businesses and deposited into a fund managed by the JCPS Foundation. Scholastic was also a big contributor to the library collection.

Karen Enloe, executive director of the JCPS Foundation, said one key word in the relationship among the group was "open."

"The school was open to listening to a family that is so passionate about carrying on a legacy of learning and the family was so open about the needs of a school and beyond," Enloe said.

Everybody working together contributed to the success of the drive, she added.

Weddle calculated the life span of a book by attributing it to the number of hands that touch it before it's too old and worn for use.

He explained a rough estimate of the books in the literacy set cost about $6.70 each. On average, books have a life span of 10 years.

Weddle calculated with 22 students in each classroom, one book reaches 220 students. So over the lifetime of the book, the investment for one book is 3 cents.

"One book goes a long way, and the importance of literacy from the youngest age possible makes a huge difference on a student's success," Weddle said. "For me, the connection was that the Lion's Den has an amazing effect on the literacy level of my great niece."

"Today truly is a celebration of something bigger than ourselves," Enloe said.

In January 2017, the Weddles will launch a new book drive for a different school in the district. Those looking to contribute to the book drive should visit the Dr. Nancy Gammon Memorial Book Fund Facebook page.