CEDARVILLE — Ohio First Lady Fran DeWine visited Cedarville University Tuesday morning to join in the 10th anniversary celebration of the Greene County Imagination Library Program.

Hundreds of parents, children, and educators gathered at the university’s Doden Field House to share in the celebration. Children who have been enrolled in the program were treated to a reading of Eric Carle’s “The Very Hungry Caterpillar” by DeWine with an introduction by Karl Colon, Greene County Public Library executive director.

“We are grateful to be blessed with literacy leaders like Fran DeWine who found the example we set in Greene County to be something that she could use to create partnerships through out the state,” said Colon, who is also promoting the library’s new program “1,000 Books Before Kindergarten — A Promise and a Pledge.”

The Greene County Public Library Foundation when planning the event, wanted to partner with DeWine and Barbara Mills, chair of the Dolly Parton Imagination Library Foundation of Ohio.

The First Lady spoke about the importance of books and reading to children from a young age.

Tuesday’s activities included volunteers hosting children’s games, making balloon hats, sticker give-a-ways, cookie snacks, goody bags, and the always popular bouncy house.

Statewide, the Imagination Library has enrolled 500,000 kids, totaling 59 percent of eligible kids in Ohio. The Imagination Library mails kids one high-quality, age-appropriate book each month until their fifth birthday. All Ohio children — from birth to age five — are eligible to be enrolled in the program at no cost to their family.

Reach Karen Rase at 937-502-4534.