Emergency personnel in Kewaunee County are turning your average call to action into an important touchpoint for area children.

The Kewaunee County Sheriff’s Department has partnered with the REACH-A-Child program since 2008 to help provide comfort to kids dealing with tragedy through books. Emergency personnel carry first responder bags full of children’s books for kids to choose from while their families deal with an accident, house fire, or other crises. What is supposed to be a distraction for the children also turns into an important moment of outreach for police officers, emergency medical technicians, and firefighters. Kewaunee County Sheriff Matt Joski had one such interaction when the program first started with the younger sibling of a child who was receiving medical treatment. He says the moment is important in helping kids in a time of need cope with the situation around them.

Thanks to a $7,500 AT&T Foundation grant, the Kewaunee County Sheriff’s Department received 25 first responder bags and approximately 400 children’s books on Friday to help the program continue into the future.

Photo courtesy of Jessica Erickson