Serving Barnwell County and it's neighbors since 1852
For the entire month of June, the Barnwell County Sheriff's Office conducted the Great Reading Influences Total Success (GRITS) Reading and Literacy Program.
This could not have been such a success without the community partners who played such a dynamic role. This event not only provided an opportunity for law enforcement to read to children, it also gave children the chance to have their up close and personal time with Sheriff Griffith and various members of the agency as well.
Special thank you to Barnwell County First Steps for attending every event and ensuring that every child left every event with free books.
To McDonalds of Barnwell, Barnwell Family YMCA, and Beautiful Beginnings Day Care for allowing us to host the events there and entrusting the youth to us for the entire month.
To JJ’s Learning Academy, Clemson Snap Ed, Polly Best Center, Barnwell Offset Printing, P&K Discount and Thrift Store, the contributions that each of you made with your time and your talents were very appreciated.
“To see the badge not only for its strength but as a friend who can help me, even to read. As formidable as the badge may be, in its shape and glow, it can inspire a generation. Grateful to have been considered as a partner in this initiative. Thankful for all of the community's efforts to help children read more,” said Jordan Jenkins, owner of JJ’s Learning Academy.
Hannah Long, Clemson Snap Ed Health Educator for Barnwell and Allendale counties, felt this program “provided a chance for so many children to be exposed to different information and also have a chance to interact with law enforcement helping with the program. Through my involvement specifically, they all got to learn and talk about different fruits, got a chance to taste-test some different ones and were presented with different ways to think about their food. It was a fantastic program and one that I hope I can be involved with again in the future.”
To the parents and children that attended all the events, our agency cannot say enough. We know the impact that positive law enforcement interaction has on children, so we constantly try innovative ways to connect with our youth. This event and others like it will continue to thrive and equipping our youth in a positive way will always be at the forefront.
This event was a remake of a program that I attended when I was a child. Barnwell County Library, when located on Hagood Avenue, used to host storytime with Mrs. Ellen Jenkins. As a child, I attended every one of them with my aunt Martha Gadson who was an educator at Guinyard-Butler Middle School. I looked forward to those events and every time we attended we each received a free book from the library. We learned early the importance of reading.
