Hinrichs Joins Record as Sponsorship Coordinator

Debbie Hinrichs has joined The Warren County Record as its new Record In Education sponsorship coordinator.

In her new position, Hinrichs will raise funds to support the newspaper's literacy programs.

Each week, 1,598 newspapers are delivered to 81 teachers in nine area schools for students in grades kindergarten through high school. That is nearly 60,000 classroom papers The Record distributes during the course of the year at no cost to the schools.

Hinrichs, of Marthasville, said she is excited to begin her new position.

"I have always been a big supporter for literacy," she said. "I always believed reading is a key to success."

Hinrichs retired in September as the circuit manager for the Missouri Social Services Children's Division in the 45th Judicial Circuit representing Lincoln and Pike counties. She held that position since April 2003.

Prior to that, she was the Warren County director for the Children's Division from June 2001 to March 2003.

While working for the Children's Division, she discovered in many instances children needed alternative exposures to reading that they might not get in their home. She feels that void can be met by having The Record delivered to a classroom each week to help improve literacy.

"I like the way you can help children connect with reading and their community," Hinrichs said. "These children are going to grow up to be our leaders. It's exciting to know you're helping with that."

As a young child growing up in northeast Missouri, Hinrichs was raised in a household where a newspaper was read daily.

"We were expected to read and we talked about it," she said. "That was our connection to the community."

In addition to distributing the classroom newspapers, a variety of youth features are published in The Record each week. Some of the educational resources that have or will appear in The Record this school year include features on the 9/11 terrorist attacks, Constitution and Bill of Rights and flag etiquette, Words of the Week spelling series, Book Buzz children's book column, "Patriotic Pals" serialized story on dog mascots of the Civil War and a gardening series.

For more information about sponsoring the Record In Education program, contact Hinrichs at 636-242-2045 or email dhinrichs@centurytel.net.