This year Mountain Empire Rotary Club has started a new school program to encourage students to read and achieve. First Books, an organization that promotes reading, awarded our local Rotary Club a grant to purchase books as gifts and awards for students in grades K-8. Accordingly, each student will receive a book on his or her birthday as well as a gift book for Christmas. At the beginning of the school year, Rotary, with a grant from First Books, gave every third grader in the region a dictionary.
Superintendent of Schools Denise Blake is very appreciative of Rotary’s willingness to obtain these grants that help support the schools. “We are also grateful to President Fred Sang for his leadership with Rotary and for all of the service initiatives they are providing for the children in our county,” she added.
In addition to free books, each month Rotary is recognizing the efforts of an outstanding student in one subject. November’s subject was art; Johana Lee, the school’s art teacher, gave the award, a certificate and check for $100, to Nicole Manriquez. Lee says that Nicole is not afraid to get her hands dirty, that she collaborates with others, and has strong design skills, especially in fashion.
Rotary lends a hand to the area schools in other ways throughout the year. It sponsored the PUHS Homecoming football game, gives three college scholarships, and an end-of-year middle school certificate, and sponsors two students for the Rotary Youth Leadership Academy (RYLA). In Elgin, Mountain Empire Rotary Club will give end-of-school awards of $100 to three top students.
Rotarian Sue Archibald explains that education and literacy are core principles of Rotary Clubs around the world. “We believe in young people and know that they are our future.”