October 1st, 2022 by WCBC Radio

Comptroller Peter Franchot visited Western Maryland this week presenting the 2021 Allegany County  William Donald Schaefer Helping People Awards. In Allegany County the award went to the Children’s Literature Centre. Founded in 1982 by Tom Palardy, William Bingman and Patricia Hancock to honor retiring long time professors from Frostburg State. What began as an annual festival turned into a much more permanent offering promoting children’s literacy and instilling a lifelong love of reading. The Centre is also celebrating its 40^th anniversary. Their work to raise awareness about children’s literature, illustrators and authors has been tremendous. They have leveraged community networks and technology both to further their literacy efforts, and have met with incredible success. The Centre houses a vast collection of children’s literature offerings and engages in a host of programs to introduce and celebrate these diverse authors.