Literacy is a focus for the Rotary Club of Sacramento. Our Club participates in local community Literacy Projects like Dictionary Distribution, High School Speech Contests and the Walk 4 Literacy.
Dictionary Distribution Program
In January 2019, more than two dozen Rotary Club of Sacramento volunteers distributed 900 dictionaries to 3rd graders at 10 schools in the Sacramento area. We went into classrooms and showed kids how to use the dictionaries. For many, these were the first book the kids had ever owned.
International Literacy Projects
Cambodia
Our Club has awarded several grants to Journeys Within Our Community (JWOC), a nonprofit organization working to provide educational opportunities in Northwestern Cambodia. Our grants have helped establish a 26-station computer learning lab, complete with the latest software, including Rosetta Stone to help students learn English.
Costa Rica Literacy Project
The Rotary Club of Sacramento and Foundation partnered to supply books and build a library in a remote area of Costa Rica. The literacy program is called Give-A-Book and is managed by Club member Heidi Hershenhouse. She and volunteers from other clubs in California, Florida, Alabama and Indiana personally traveled to small towns and villages to present books to create school libraries. They also read books to the kids and worked on projects with them like making bookmarks. Lack of resources for youth in these communities has led to a rise in adolescent drug use and teenage delinquency. Give-A-Book is making a difference.