Our Story

Bring Me A Book Forgotten Coast was launched by Michaelin and Dave Watts with the help of fellow Franklin County resident, Marie Marshall.

With our affiliation, Bring Me A Book Forgotten Coast and the Bring Me A Book Foundation have shared experiences, program ideas and resources on an ongoing basis each nonprofit has evolved to best fit the needs of its community.

Michaelin and Dave were inspired by the vision and dedicated work of their close friend, Judy Koch, founder of Bring Me A Book Foundation and by Brigid Hubberman of the Family Reading Partnership in Ithaca, NY.

The project began as a plan for a small, church-based childcare center. However, recognizing the need throughout the county the project quickly blossomed into an organization focused on serving all the young children of Franklin County. Michaelin, Dave, and Marie have brought their experiences as a clinical social worker, large corporate CEO, and early childhood educator, respectively, to this effort.

In 2016, the services of Karen Kessel were contracted as the Bring Me A Book Franklin Program Coordinator. Karen, a Texas award-winning school librarian, develops and coordinates new programs and partnerships while maintaining core programs.