Rotary District 6920

A MESSAGE TO ALL CLUB PRESIDENTS

From

The North American Area Literacy Resource Group

(One of President Carl’s two top priority service project areas)

July, 2005

Following is a preview of the monthly literacy promotions for August through November.

The purpose of the monthly promotions is to give your club a tool for raising its level of service in the area of literacy. With a couple of exceptions these promotions should not involve extra work for you or your leadership team. Instead, the promotions should provide you with opportunities to get new members or inactive older members involved in service projects. And, of course, involvement means retention.

Month-by-month we ask you to, at a minimum, do the following:

1. Make the club members aware of the theme for the month and encourage them to suggest new literacy project ideas.

2. Celebrate the club’s accomplishments in the theme area.

3. Make a special effort to see that your club participates in the three signature promotions that lie ahead — International Literacy Day (September 8^th), The Dictionary Project (also in September), and a Four-Way Test project (October).

Here are some particulars:

1. August --The theme for this month is hospitals

Our request of you: Read the attached message at one of your weekly meetings.

2. September -- The theme for this month is International Literacy Day (Sept. 8th) and New Generations (or youth)

Our requests of you:

• Publicize and Celebrate International Literacy Day by recognizing a local literacy leader at your club — The person you recognize can be a teacher, an administrator, or a volunteer in the schools. Or pick another category that you think is appropriate. At a minimum, present a certificate and get some publicity in the local media. Better yet, have the honoree be the program. A SAMPLE SCRIPT FOR THE OCCASION IS ATTACHED.

• Consider celebrating and publicizing International Literacy Day in additional ways (E.g. by partnering with your local literacy coalition or International Reading Association to sponsor a one-day literacy conference).

• Discuss with your board the feasibility of participating in The Dictionary Project ---- THIS IS A SIGNATURE PROJECT FOR ROTARY WORLD WIDE. In some ways it’s the literacy equivalent of our polio eradication project.

• Discuss with your board the feasibility of organizing an Adopt-A-School project --- THIS IS ALSO A SIGNTIJRE PROJECT. But it’s not nearly as easy to do as a dictionary project. It may be beyond the capabilities of your club. So all we ask is that you and your board seriously evaluate the possibilities.

• Read to your club the monthly literacy message which will be sent to you in the beginning of September (It will be similar in length, content and intent to the attached message on the August promotion).

3. October — The theme for this month is Character Development and Ethics Our requests of you for this month are:

• Read to your club the monthly literacy message which will be sent to you at the beginning of October

• Discuss with your board the feasibility of organizing a Four-Way Test project at one or more of your local schools

4. November — The theme for this month is The Rotary Foundation and Literacy Projects.

Our requests of you for this month are:

• Read to your club the monthly literacy message which wilt be sent to you at the beginning of November

• Discuss with your board the feasibility of participating in one of a couple of high profile literacy programs involving a Rotary Foundation grant. You will be provided with information regarding those grants in September (both directly and through your Zone Institute)

YOU NEED TO KNOW something very important about our requests that you discuss with your board the following projects — The Dictionary Project, The Adopt-A-School Project, and a Four-Way Test project. What we ask you to do AS A BOARD is to seriously evaluate these projects. In the final analysis it’s up to you to decide whether or not your club has the interest or ability to adopt any or all of them. But PLEASE at least give them a serious look.

FINALLY, share your ideas and accomplishments with the rest of North America, month-by-month. The monthly themes aren’t for you club’s benefit alone. They are a method of encouraging thousands of clubs to brainstorm about new project ideas. The useful results need to be shared with the rest of the world. So let your ADG and District Literacy Resource Coordinator know about good ideas and successful projects. Or, contact your Zone Literacy Resource Coordinator directly. Ask your ADO for the contact information if you don’t have at hand.

Literacy Resource Group - North American Area