1st Source Bank presented a $10,000 grant from the Esther Pfleiderer Charitable Trust to Kosciusko Literacy Services. The grant will be used for the KLS Read to Grow Children’s Book Club.
Shown from the left are KLS Treasurer Joy McCarthy-Sessing; board member Ann Zydek; KLS Executive Director Cynthia Cates; 1st Source Bank Vice President and Trust Officer Tom Tearney; KLS President Cheryl Avery; Vice President Sue Williamson; and KLS board member Cindy Dobbins. Photo provided by KLS.

KOSCIUSKO COUNTY — Tom Tearney, vice president and trust officer of 1st Source Bank, presented a $10,000 grant from the Esther Pfleiderer Charitable Trust to the board of directors of Kosciusko Literacy Services. The grant supports KLS’ Read to Grow Children’s Book Club program, which improves early literacy of preschoolers in Kosciusko County.

This grant is helping to place children’s books in the homes of families living in poverty. Each child enrolled in the Read to Grow Children’s Book Club receives one book a month from birth to age 5. By placing the books in the home, KLS addresses one of the main reasons children have low literacy skills when entering kindergarten — the lack of reading material in the home. The parents agree to read regularly to their child. Reading to children at an early age helps the child’s brain to develop language and reading skills. Several national studies show children lacking these skills when entering kindergarten may perpetually lag behind their peers.

KLS fosters literacy for all ages in Kosciusko County. KLS is a member of ProLiteracy Worldwide, International Literacy Association, and Indiana Literacy Association. KLS is an nonprofit. Grants, corporate and individual donors, an author dinner, and other in-house fundraising efforts provide support for the literacy programs. For more information, visit www.kcread.org, email [email protected] or call (574) 267-5380.

The Esther Pfleiderer Charitable Trust was established by Pfleiderer to assist charitable organizations located in Kosciusko County in improving the quality of life in the county. Born and raised in Warsaw, Pfleiderer taught math for 39 years in the Warsaw school system. She also was very active in the community. She served on the boards of the Salvation Army, Warsaw Community Public Library, Kosciusko County Community Foundation, Kosciusko County Historical Society, and the ministries of the First Presbyterian Church. In 1982, she was recognized as Warsaw’s Woman of the Year.

Grant applications are available from 1st Source Bank Personal Asset Management Group offices at 325 S. Lake St., Warsaw. The next deadline for applications for grants is Nov. 15.

For more information, contact 1st Source Bank at (574) 268-1207.