Live Inspired celebrates 11 years of impact in Medina County at community banquet

A tornado watch wasn’t enough to keep the crowd away.

Nearly 200 people filled Williams on the Lake on Thursday, May 26, celebrating 11 years of Live Inspired’s service to Medina County families – a quiet success story marked on a very typical Medina spring evening.

Live Inspired trains volunteer home visitors to work with parents of young children. The goal is simple: help parents become their child’s first and best teacher. Volunteers visit families twice a week, modeling reading aloud, playful learning and positive communication – the building blocks children need before they ever set foot in a classroom.

Families stay in the program for two years – 92 home visits and 46 hours of one-on-one mentoring per family. The results speak for themselves. Every family surveyed said the program helped prepare their child for kindergarten. Nine out of 10 said they felt more confident supporting their child’s learning and development.

At the banquet, home visitors Carolyn Labbe and Meredith Bush were recognized for a decade of dedication. The team of home visitors present then took the stage together, demonstrating for the crowd the gentle, encouraging approach they use to help parents feel comfortable guiding their child’s learning.

The numbers are striking. With 64 program graduates – and nine more graduating in May – Live Inspired has delivered more than 6,000 home visits and 3,300 hours of enrichment and parental mentoring. Families have also received more than 4,000 books and toys to build home libraries and support early learning.

Why does it matter? Kim Clouse, Live Inspired’s director, put it plainly: nearly 14,000 people in Medina County live in poverty, according to U.S. Census data. Live Inspired exists to make sure that number doesn’t determine how ready a child is to learn.

A packed room at Williams on the Lake said something, too. Nearly 200 neighbors chose to spend a stormy Thursday evening learning about – and supporting – families working to give their children a better start.