To help spread a message of acceptance and inclusion for Disability Awareness Month, Independence Bank partnered with local authors Amanda Owen and Ashley Wedding to provide copies of their children’s book Owen the Wonderer to local elementary schools.
The nearly $4,000 investment allows 23 schools to have 15 copies each of the book. A portion of that support will be donated to Puzzle Pieces, an Owensboro-based nonprofit that serves individuals with intellectual disabilities.
“We are honored that Independence Bank saw the value of our book and believed in our mission of acceptance and inclusion of those with disabilities,” Wedding said. “When we wrote this book, we had the dream of these being in all of our local elementary schools and today that dream came true. We truly hope that this story helps children better understand and embrace differences. When we know better, we do better.”
Representatives from Independence Bank joined Wedding and Owen to deliver about half the books on Friday. The rest will be distributed on Monday.
“Partnering with Amanda and Ashley was an easy ‘yes’ from Independence Bank,” said Susanne Story, Community Enrichment Officer for Independence Bank. “Sponsoring Owen the Wonderer in all of our local elementary schools aligns perfectly with our mission and we are excited to help spread the important message of acceptance and inclusion, especially in honor of Disability Awareness Month.”
Owen is the founder and executive director of Puzzle Pieces, while Wedding serves as the nonprofit’s public relations director.
The book, which will be the first in a three-book series, focuses on 9-year-old Owen and his curiosity about the new student in his class, McKenzie, who he learns has Down syndrome. The young boy is full of questions and learns how to include his new classmate. In the end, Owen learns McKenzie is not very different from himself and the two become friends.
Owen and Wedding hope the book will be a resource for parents and teachers to begin conversations with their children and students about disabilities. A list of questions is provided in the back of the book to help guide these discussions.
All of the characters represent someone that has touched the lives of the authors. McKenzie, one of the book’s main characters, is modeled after a client at Puzzle Pieces with the same name. She has been attending the nonprofit since she was 7 years old. Owen is named after Amanda and resembles Wedding’s oldest son. The bus driver and teachers are all semblances of local people. Even the settings in future books will be some of Owensboro’s most popular locations.
