The Bookend City and Bookend County designations are made by the Reach Out and Read National Center. The designation is conferred on towns and counties where all of the healthcare facilities that see pediatric patients and provide well-child checkups participate in Reach Out and Read. There are only nine Bookend Cities in the country, and two of them are in Colorado! And there are only two Bookend Counties in the country -- Crowley County is the second!

Crowley County: Colorado's First Bookend County

Because all of the pediatric providers in Crowley County participate in the program, Reach Out and Read presented the “Bookend County” award to Crowley County Commissioners Gary Gibson and Frank Grant on October 19, 2011 at Combined Community Library in Ordway, CO. Certificates of achievement were also given to Centennial Family Health, LLC and Otero County Health Department-Ordway Clinic in recognition of their wonderful effort in making this happen.

Colorado's Bookend Cities:

Glenwood Springs
On June 17, 2010 Reach Out and Read named Glenwood Springs a Bookend City. Mayor Christensen had the opportunity to see Reach Out and Read in action and read to several enthusiastic children at the event hosted by Glenwood Medical Associates. In the last year, Glenwood Medical Associates joined the Reach Out and Read program with participating clinics Pediatric Partners, Mountain Family Health Centers and Garfield County Public Health.

Rocky Ford
On March 2nd, 2009 (Read Across America Day), Rocky Ford, Colorado was named the nation's third Bookend City and the first in Colorado. Although a small town, Rocky Ford has four participating Reach Out and Read clinics: Harmony Health Center, Otero County Health Department, Rocky Ford Family Health Center, and Valley-Wide Health Systems Rocky Ford Family Health Center. To celebrate the milestone event, Rocky Ford Mayor Mac Holder read If You Give a Mouse a Cookie by Laura Numeroff to the 120 children gathered at the Rocky Ford Family Health Center. Rocky Ford Family Health Center, owned by Dr. Doug and Terry Miller, has participated in Reach Out and Read since March of 2006.