The Carroll County Community Action Team for the Ferst Foundation is in need of money to continue its work. The local team will run out of funds in September unless it gets an influx of donations soon.

The local Ferst Foundation works to improve early literacy in the county by mailing children under 5 years of age a book every month from the Dolly Parton Imagination Library at no cost to the family. This month, the foundation mailed 2,528 children books to Carroll County residents. The program costs $36 per child per year, roughly $8,000 a month.

“We would like to reach 3,000 children which would mean that we would be serving about half of the eligible children in that age group in the county, but we’re kind of afraid to push for it because we’re not sure we can afford it,” said Martha Saunders, treasurer and one of the founding members of the local Ferst Foundation. “Of course, as we register more children then we’ve got more expenses.”

The local Ferst Foundation was created about five years ago when some members of the Carrollton Civic Woman’s Club decided to take on the issue of literacy. They knew that as a whole the state had a low literacy rate and that Carroll County had some factors that contributed to low literacy rates.

“We realized that Carroll County has a large population of adults that have not finished high school – I think it’s about 20 percent of the population has not finished high school,” said Saunders. “There are a number of Georgia families who do not have any kind of reading material in their home for children and we know that children who begin school unprepared are going to have a very, very difficult time catching up.”

Introducing books into the homes of children could help prepare them for kindergarten. After months of fundraising, the program registered its first children in April 2005 and mailed its first books in June of that same year.

The foundation has worked for five years on grants from foundations such as the EMC Foundation, Community Foundation of West Georgia and the Greystone Foundation, money from local civic clubs and individual foundations as well as an annual fundraiser, but this year donations are down. The economy is taking its toll on foundations and forcing people to cut down on their private donations and the local Ferst Foundation is suffering.

It’s something Saunders hates to see.

“We know we’re making a difference,” Saunders said. “Through the county school system, we have for the last couple of years been keeping a record of the kindergarten readiness scores on children who have had the Ferst books in the home and children who have not had the Ferst books in the home. Children who have had the Ferst books in the home score significantly higher on the kindergarten readiness test.”

Carroll County Sheriff Terry Langley is a big supporter of the program. He believes the early education can help decrease the chance the students will drop out later and that is not only a social issue, that is a crime deterrent.

“About 80 percent of our inmates have two problems or two common threads,” Langley said. “One of them is lack of education – they either quit school or were kicked out of school, and don’t have a high school diploma, at least. Secondly, substance abuse. So, I just see the key link to crime prevention, to making people productive citizens, is education.”

The books that the students receive at no charge are one way to turn the kids onto education and keep them from getting behind in school.

The foundation will have its annual fundraiser, “Bands, Burgers and Books,” on Sept. 12 at the Carroll County Agriculture Center. That fundraiser typically brings in about $6,500. It has also signed up for a Spirit Night fundraiser at Chik-fil-A on Aug. 27. However, that revenue is likely to be just a drop in the bucket. The foundation needs to raise $220,500 a year to offer the program in Carroll County.

The Rotary Club of Carrollton is a financial supporter of the local Ferst Foundation.

“Rotary is involved in literacy projects every year,” said Dr. Steve Davis, president of the club. “It’s a great organization. I think it’s very successful, too, in terms of getting students to read and I believe in it. I think all the people in our club do. So, it’s a pretty easy sell.”

He’s also had personal experience with the program. His own children received books from the local Ferst Foundation.

“Love them,” Davis said.