Serving Barnwell County and it's neighbors since 1852
First Steps Program Assistant and Parent Educator Amie Sanders (left) shares information and goodies with new parents at the Community Baby Shower.
Coretta Simmons and Joanne Mingo talk with expectant parents about the services offered by Healthy Families of America in Barnwell, Allendale, and Aiken counties.
Kandish Parks and her daughter, Arvaeyah, were recipients of a First Steps Newborn Book Bag complete with educational materials to begin a child’s relationship with reading.
Many prizes were raffled off at the Community Baby Shower held by Barnwell County First Steps.
New and expectant parents were welcomed at the Barnwell County First Steps’ Community Baby Shower on Saturday, November 5 for a wealth of information, supplies, and support surrounding early childhood initiatives.
Each parent that walked through the door was welcomed by First Steps Program Assistant and Parent Educator, Amie Sanders, who played a major role in bringing the event together.
Bottles, books, and baby supplies were handed out and local families were able to make connections with local resources.
“We have a bunch of different community resources that provided us with some really nice store prizes,” said Sanders. “Everything from a stroller, we've got full car seats and booster seats, two pack-and-plays.”
These store prize items were raffled off to expectant families.
Aside from tables by First Steps with information about their programs like Parents as Teachers and Home Instruction for Parents of Preschool Youngsters (HIPPY), many community resources set up a table to chat with local parents.
Kandish Parks and her daughter, Arvaeyah, were only some of the recipients of First Steps Newborn Book Bag; a program aimed at building the libraries of children from a young age.
Arvaeyah was the poster child for the Newborn Book Bag at the event and Kandish is thankful for the relationship she has built with First Steps and affiliates.
“She was a preemie– in and out of the hospital–and they were with me every step of the way,” said Kandish of First Steps when her daughter was born. “I thank God for them.”
The Newborn Book Bag is sponsored by Barnwell County First Steps and is funded by a grant from the United Way of Bamberg, Barnwell, and Allendale Counties.
Some of the participating groups were Safe Kids Aiken County, Barnwell School District 45, Family Pantry, Family Solutions, WIC, Healthy Families of America, Save the Children, Low Country Health Care, and Axis I Center of Barnwell.
Also present was Melody Meanor, Community Health Educator with the Department of Health and Environmental Control (DHEC), handing out personal protection gear such as masks and hand sanitizers.
Representing Healthy Families America (HFA) were Coretta Simmons and Joanne Mingo. Both women explained how HFA works to promote child-well being, prevent abuse and neglect, and help parents achieve both parental and personal goals.
“The parents have been coming in and I think with all of the vendors here, with the information that we all provide, it’s a great resource for them to have in the community,” said Simmons.
Shandalyn Isaac represented Save the Children. Each parent that visited her table received the book, “Every Cake Has a Story” by Christina Tosi and a cooking kit with silicone utensils from Raddish Kids. These products allow for children to learn cooking and nutrition skills at an early age.
This was the first time in nearly two years the Community Baby Shower was held in person due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“It's supposed to be every six months and it's part of our outreach services,” said Sanders. “We were not able to do it during COVID, they had to do it as a drive-through, but now that we're back in house and can have people, we're hoping we spread the word and get it out there!”
For more information on services offered by First Steps or any of their many partners, visit https://www.scfirststeps.org/, call their office at (803) 450-1493, or email info@barnwellfirststeps.org.
