Ouachita Stories

The Ben M. Elrod Center for Family and Community at Ouachita Baptist University recently donated more than 150 new books to Ascent (formerly Pediatric Specialty Care, Inc.) to fulfill a need for books for preschool children enrolled there. 

According to Elrod Center Director Ian Cosh, who also serves as assistant to the president for community development, "The Elrod Center is constantly looking for pressing needs in the community that we are capable of addressing as a university. We are glad to be able to partner with Ascent in meeting this particular need." 

Jan Bass, coordinator of public school initiatives, and Diane Runyan, administrative assistant at the Elrod Center, recently delivered the books to Ascent.

"It is our pleasure to deliver books to Ascent and see the eager acceptance of books by children who really appreciate having a book of their own to take home," Bass noted. She said funding through the Elrod Center made it possible for the center to provide these books for the fifth consecutive year.

"Once again, I want to say an enormous thank you for sharing books with our children," Ascent Director Becky Jones responded. "You brought smiles to our clinic today."

Kathy Wallace, early childhood coordinator at Ascent, added, "We are so thankful to be chosen by the Elrod Center to receive such a generous donation of books. Every child in our center received one book today and we will use the remaining books to give to new patients when they enroll."