Meet Sherry Cerino

We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Sherry Cerino a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Sherry, really happy you were able to join us today and we’re looking forward to sharing your story and insights with our readers. Let’s start with the heart of it all – purpose. How did you find your purpose?

During my 45-year career as a nurse in a variety of hospital based settings including maternity, pediatrics, intensive care, special needs, long term care and rehabilitation, I cared for many patients from around the world. They were all different, unique and special to me. My passion for acceptance of differences runs deep.

There have been many times in my life where I have seen others treated unfairly, even cruel at times. I have always had the desire to write a children’s book and thought that I might be able to get children talking about kindness at an age where they begin to form friendships. That desire led to my first children’s book, Ella & the All-Stars and the development of a nonprofit organization, Ella’s Way. Ella is not only the main character in my book, it is also an acronym for Early Learning Leads to Acceptance and the mission for Ella’s Way. Since children form their first friendships between the ages of 4-7, if they are encouraged to play with children of all cultures, socioeconomic backgrounds and any other perceived differences, I believe that they are more likely to forge diverse and potentially long term friendships. Ella & the All-Stars became the springboard to conversations in kindness, inclusion and friendship.

Ella & the All-Stars was followed by 4 other books, all with similar messages of kindness. These stories form the content for my school presentations and enrichment programs. I have personally read to over 50,000 children throughout New England, using my story as a springboard for creating conversations in kindness, acceptance and inclusion. Ella’s Way and sharing my children’s books became my passion and my purpose in spreading kindness.

In 2021, I expanded Ella’s Way for more boots on the ground to spread kindness. We now have 35 authors from around the world, with stories that fit the mission of Ella’s Way. Our books can be found in 165 schools and libraries across the country. Since then, we have begun to use grants and donations to create book packages for donation to areas in need. These have included children’s hospital, pediatric clinics, foster services, family shelters, camps for children with disabilities or terminal illnesses, and areas of natural disaster. To date, we have donated to 60 such areas and continue to build our organization so that we can donate even more!

Ella’s Way not only believes in practicing kindness, we walk the walk and spread kindness as much as possible. To think that this mission of kindness began with one children’s book is just amazing and I cannot be more thankful for this incredible journey.

Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?

The Ella’s Way worldwide collaboration of children’s book authors use stories to create conversations with children regarding diversity, disability awareness, kindness, equity and inclusion. We specialize in unique, niche children’s books with messages to support our mission. Our authors also provide in-person and virtual author’s visits around the world, creating special enrichment programs on a variety of social-emotional topics.

Through grants and donations from our loyal supporters, we are also proud to be in a position where we can donate book packages to areas in need around the country. We believe that our books are making a difference in children’s lives by supporting age-appropriate conversations surrounding sensitive topics.

Recently, we developed a new product called The Kindness Corner Starter Kit and have been shipping them around the country to schools and libraries. With feedback from many families, we became aware that books related to diversity and/or disability awareness were not easily located in many library and school settings. We believe that specialty books with diversity and disability themes should be celebrated and readily available for every young reader! Ella’s Way collaborated with our worldwide team of talented authors to create the kit. ​With a variety of charming stories, unique characters, age-appropriate themes and other supportive materials, our Kindness Corner Starter Kit is the perfect first step in creating a portable, designated safe space for conversations and activities focused on kindness and inclusion.

Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?

I found that my journey involved the need to be a goal setter, a life long learner, to be determined and to always be fearless! To create a book, I had to learn many new skills including the writing rules for children’s literature, finding an illustrator, learning photo editing programs, creating interior text files and book covers, adapting to book sizing, educating myself in copyright laws, adding ISBN numbers, and finding a suitable printer that would work with a novice. Everyday was met with another hurdle, but determination and setting short range goals helped me to keep focused in order to complete the process.

I have now published 5 of my own books and regularly assist other first time authors facing the same challenges. I was told by a mentor to be fearless and that advice has carried me a long way.

Okay, so before we go, is there anyone you’d like to shoutout for the role they’ve played in helping you develop the essential skills or overcome challenges along the way?

For me, the best way to get through any challenge was to research and collaborate with others. In creating a book, there were many online videos available to talk about pitfalls and all the details needed to publish a children’s book. Social media was very helpful as well, particularly its large number of author’s groups, where experienced authors are willing to help new authors take the necessary steps to get their book print ready.

But, I have to say, the support and encouragement of my family was my mainstay. Without them, I may have given up much too early. Oh, and getting a good night’s sleep didn’t hurt either!

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