As you know, YOKE Founder, John Coatney, has written and published his first book, a collection of short stories entitled, Storytime with Uncle Bud. On Sunday, April 7, a book signing party hosted by YOKE provided a great opportunity to connect with YOKE alumni, current YOKE leaders, and friends of the Coatneys. Illustrator Sherry Beeler joined John and Helen at the table. The Coatneys brought dozens of old photos to give away, along with memorabilia associated with stories in the book. YOKE “swag” was also available for purchase and refreshments were served.
John and Helen requested that proceeds from sales that day went to benefit YOKE. Between sales of the book and YOKE merchandise, and donations that were made, nearly $4,000 was raised. John took the time not only to sign each book, but also to include a personal message for each person in line. He had a blast, but by the end of the day, his hand was quite tired and sore.
“It meant so much to me and John to see and hug everyone,” said Helen. “Seeing everyone like this brought back so many good memories.” Stephanie hopes to have more events like this where alumni can connect with each other in the future.
If you still need a copy of John’s book, there may be a few copies left at the YOKE house. You can also order a copy from Amazon or Barnes & Noble.
