Here are the FREE programs for January 2024 at the Bedford Branch of the Cuyahoga County Public Library, located at 79 Columbus Road, Bedford, Ohio 44146. For more information, or to register for any program, please call Christie Sterba at 440.439.4997 or contact her at csterba@cuyahogalibrary.org.

Kids Café -18 & younger 
Monday-Friday, 3:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.
Kids ages 18 and under can get a FREE lunch provided by the Greater Cleveland Food Bank, while supplies last.

Student Success Center – K-8 grades
Monday – Thursday (school days) 4-6:30 p.m.
Since 2002, our FREE Student Success Center’s program has helped thousands of students in grades K–8 improve their grades and subject comprehension. Student Success Centers are available at 10 branches. Students who participate in the program receive homework assistance from trained tutors in the following subjects: Language Arts, Math, Reading, Science, and Social Studies. MUST REGISTER

Family Storytime – All ages with caregiver 
Tuesdays, January 2, 9, 16, 23, 30, 6:00 p.m.
Join us for stories, songs and fingerplays.

Homeschool Hangout – Grades 2-5 
Friday, January 5, 19, 2:00 p.m.
Join us for fun, engaging, STEM-based activities. Perfect for homeschoolers looking to connect with other students.

Teen Tuesday – Grades 6-12 
Tuesday, January 9, 3:30 p.m. 
Join us after school for fun activities for teens!

Ellenwood Book Discussion – The New Husband – Adults 
Wednesday, January 10, 2:00 p.m.
Attend our monthly book discussion at Ellenwood Community Center. This month we’re reading and discussing The New Husband by D.J. Palmer. Copies of the book will be available at the Bedford Branch and at the Ellenwood Center one month before the date of the discussion.
“What makes Simon Fitch so perfect?
*He knows all her favorite foods, music, and movies.
*Her son adores him. He was there when she needed him most.
*He anticipates her every need.
*He would never betray her like her first husband.
The perfect husband. He checks all the boxes. The question is, why? Nina Garrity learned the hard way that her missing husband, Glen, had been leading a double life with another woman. But with Glen gone — presumably drowned while fishing on his boat –she couldn’t confront him about the affair or find closure to the life he blew apart. Now, a year and a half later, Nina has found love again and hopes she can put her shattered world back together. Simon, a widower still grieving the death of his first wife, thinks he has found his dream girl in Nina, and his charm and affections help break through to a heart hardened by betrayal. Nina’s teenage son, Connor, embraces Simon as the father he wishes his dad could have been, while her friends see a different side to him, and they aren’t afraid to use the word obsession. Nina works hard to bridge the divide that’s come between her daughter and Simon. She wants so badly to believe her life is finally getting back on track, but she’ll soon discover that the greatest danger to herself and her children are the lies people tell themselves.”

Engineering Hour – K-5
Thursday, January 11, 25, 3:30 p.m.
Use your imagination and the materials provided to build, play, create and learn. 

Internet Basics 
Friday, January 12, 10:00 p.m.
Learn how to use web browsers and search engines to navigate the Internet. This class will also discuss how to stay secure while searching for and submitting information online. Prerequisite: Computers Basics or experience using a mouse. Classes start promptly! We cannot hold seats for attendees who arrive after an in-person class has started. Anyone not on the registration list will be given an available seat on a first-come, first-served basis. MUST REGISTER

Agility, Coordination and Brain Health -Adults 
Saturday, January 13, 11:00 a.m.
A simple game of catch can boost brain health in a variety of ways. Learn more about this and other simple exercises to help hone hand-eye coordination. Learn about resources to make game playing easier as we age. MUST REGISTER

Winter Craft – Grades K-5 
Saturday, January 13, 2:00 p.m.
Join us for a winter craft.  MUST REGISTER

Budgeting Basics and Money Mindset – This event will be held virtually on Zoom. 
Thursday, January 18, 7:00 p.m.
Join this interactive session if you are ready to take control of your finances and start feeling more confident and comfortable with your money! Learn how mindset affects your thoughts and behaviors, and how to turn a negative mindset into a positive one. You will also begin to understand the why and how of budgeting to get you set on the right path to financial success! Presented by Rachel Durci of Effortless Budgeting. MUST REGISTER

African American Authors Book Group  
In-Person or Virtual — ALL ARE WELCOME  
Thursday, January 25, 7:00 p.m.
African American Authors Book Group Meets the Last Thursday of the month. All Adults are WELCOME. January Title: Soil: The Story of a Black Mother’s Garden by Camille T. Dungy
Join us for a lively discussion of this garden journal and the efforts of this mother, poet and scholar as she tries to diversify her community. Soil: The Story of a Black Mother’s Garden, poet and scholar Camille T. Dungy recounts the seven-year odyssey to diversify her garden in the predominately white community of Fort Collins, Colorado. When she moved there in 2013, with her husband and daughter, the community held strict restrictions about what residents could and could not plant in their gardens. In resistance to the homogenous policies that limited the possibility and wonder that grows from the earth, Dungy employs the various plants, herbs, vegetables, and flowers she grows in her garden as metaphor and treatise. This book is available in many formats: regular print, eAudio and as an eBook. MUST REGISTER

About Cuyahoga County Public Library
At Cuyahoga County Public Library we are committed to our mission of being at the center of community life by creating an environment where reading, lifelong learning and civic engagement thrive, and our vision is to be the most convenient library system in the country. For more information, visit www.cuyahogalibrary.org.

CONTACT: Christie Sterba, M.L.I.S
Branch Services Assistant II
Cuyahoga County Public Library
Southeast Branch
p 440.439.4997
csterba@cuyahogalibrary.org