BELLVILLE — Altrusa International of Mansfield is partnering with Purple Star Schools to increase access to children’s books about the military.
The Purple Star Award was developed by the Ohio Department of Education and Workforce in 2017. The award recognizes schools that have committed to their students and met certain criteria for supporting these children and their families.
Ashley Twedt is the Purple Star Liaison for Bellville Elementary, which was awarded Purple Star designation in 2018.
“In our building, we have students who are military-connected through their parents or siblings who are currently serving in our nation’s military, active, reserve, or National Guard,” Twedt said.
Twedt began assisting military-connected youth even before the school officially launched its Purple Star Program.
“Working in Bellville, we had quite a few families who were preparing for a deployment and had school-aged children. I knew of these families because we were good friends with them,” Twedt shared.
“I started checking in on the kids and having lunch with them. I wanted them to know I was there for them because, for many, it was the first time they were going through a deployment of a parent.”
Twedt said she holds this topic close to her heart since her brother is in the Army and serving on active duty.
“He also has three young children who struggle when he is away,” she shared.
Last summer, Twedt met Altrusa member Connie Beckett and told her about the school’s Purple Star program.
“I explained to her the importance of military children’s books and how they are great conversation starters for my military-connected students,” Twedt said.
“I was so thankful for the opportunity to then share my ideas for more military books for my Bellville students with Connie, who then got me thinking of the bigger picture, getting these books into the hands of military-connected students across Richland County,” she added.
The mission was personal to Beckett on multiple fronts. Altrusa’s focus is literacy, but she has her own connection to the military.
“That’s why I volunteered with my Altrusa group to be the liaison, the connection to the Purple Star program,” shes said.
Altrusa delivered military-themed children’s books to school libraries at Bellville Elementary and Lexington Local Schools this month.
Beckett said the several programs in Richland County have been approved for a Purple-Star designation. She added the program is still in its infancy, but is growing and relatively new for many schools.
“We will continue to provide them funding, which will vary from year to year, depending on how much our club has designated to support that organization, but it is growing,” she said.
In addition to providing books to Bellville Elementary, Altrusa also supplied reading materials to Lexington Local Schools.
Jillian Noblet, a teacher in the Lexington school district, has been a Purple Star liaison for seven years. Her husband is in the Air National Guard, so their children are military kids.
“I have seen first-hand the challenges that military children face and wanted to make sure there was support in place for them when they went to school,” Noblet said.
Noblet went on to share about a student she once had whose father was deployed at the same time as her husband.
“We made it through deployment together, supporting each other and implementing strategies to feel close to our soldiers. That is a memory I will never forget,” she said.
When asked about the future of this program, Noblet shared that she has so many different ideas for the future of Purple Star Schools in Lexington.
“Family nights, fundraisers, and scholarships — we plan to grow and grow, as well as collaborate district-wide.”
One of the requirements for the program is to have regular gatherings with the kids. Beckett said this could be anything from lunch bunches, outings, or anything they can do together regularly.
Beckett went on to say her favorite part of the Purple Star program is that there is such a big literary focus.
“These kids crave those books that are specific. They have a book they can bring home and the group can discuss it,” she said.
“It’s nice that they have a group of like-minded and similar situations with kids. That they can feel a part of.”
