(WARRENSBURG, Mo.) – The local Parents as Teachers program has a few more books to share thanks to a donation from the 2017 class of Leadership Missouri.

The Warrensburg R-VI School District’s Parents as Teachers program recently received a donation of 5,492 books from the program, according to a news release.

Leadership Missouri is a program sponsored by the Missouri Chamber of Commerce and Industry Foundation.

The program is designed to identify current and emerging leaders throughout the state, enhance their leadership skills, and deepen their knowledge of the state’s opportunities and challenges, according to the news release.

Through these sessions, participants meet and talk with Missouri’s current leaders and through panel discussions, presentations and experiences, explore the state’s opportunities, needs and resources. Leadership Missouri participants travel to Jefferson City, St. Louis, Warrensburg, Springfield, Kansas City, St. Joseph and Columbia.

R-VI Superintendent Scott Patrick is a member of the 2017 class of Leadership Missouri.

During each segment, the Leadership Missouri Class of 2017 takes part in a local service project to benefit each community. By choosing the Warrensburg R-VI School District’s PAT program, more than 600 Warrensburg families will benefit from the service project.

Anne Weyrauch, a parent educator, said the community has a large number of high needs families, and sharing books is an important part of the program’s outreach.

“We are trying to help parents build language skills with their children, as well as pre-reading skills prior to the start of kindergarten,” she said. “This is why it is important for us to be able to leave books with them. Your donation will help tremendously in our ability to help these families.”