The Livingston Rotary Club is visiting third-grade classrooms across Overton County to read and provide students with books focused on the themes of community service.
Rotary Club President Rhonda Young said the annual outreach program is designed to plant a seed of service in young students while improving local literacy rates. Young said the initiative fulfills a primary mission of Rotary International to enhance reading and writing skills for both children and adults.
“When you go in and you let them know that you’re coming in and you’re taking time to sit down, talk to them, read this book to them, you see excitement in their eyes,” Young said. “They have questions, they want to talk to you, it they just love the attention you’re giving them and just giving back to them and taking that just ten minutes, fifteen minutes to read that book to them, it encourages them so much.”
Young said the club selects specific books that demonstrate how working together can improve a community. Young said the members hope that by explaining these concepts to third graders, the students will understand that giving a little of their time can result in a significant impact.
“We feel like by helping children to understand that our community can be strong with each other that with third graders it will plant a seed and as they grow they can too become when they become adults help give back to the community and keep our community strong and growing,” Young said.
Young said the club targets third grade because it is a critical age for academic development and long-term success.
“It with the reading to them, it opens up, they see that things can be different, they can make a difference and when you plant that seed they they remember it and they ask questions about it and why you’re doing this and how they can help, they’re always eager to help,” Young said. “So we hope that they’ll always take that with them and like I say when they become adults they will give back and they’ll remember just that one just one little piece of it.”
Young said the program also serves as an encouragement for children to set aside digital technology and video games to discover new places through reading. Young said the club considers it a privilege to enter local schools to help build the community and foster future community servants.
“It’s just something that Rotary International does and with the Livingston Rotary Club we enjoy it just getting out there and being with our community helping and maybe giving back in some small way,” Young said.
The Livingston Rotary Club is establishing a new partnership with Cedar Lake Camp to provide summer scholarships for local children. The club will also hold its annual golf tournament in August.