Welches Elementary students get free books from Rotary Club posted on 04/29/2023
Sarah McIntyre, a member of the Sandy Rotary Club and also
the Library Director for the Sandy Library, enjoyed visiting all the elementary
schools in the Oregon Trail School District to give free books to preschool,
Head Start, kindergarten, first grade and second grade students. At one school,
a student was on a mission to find the most difficult book for him to read.
“I think he was in kindergarten,” McIntyre said. “We finally
found one that was hard enough for him. It’s really fun to see how excited they
get and to foster a love of reading.”
The club, which formed in 2022, donated approximately 1,000
books total, thanks to fundraising efforts and a matching grant from the Rotary
Foundation. Books included fiction and non-fiction, with titles ranging from
“Fly Guy” to “Star Wars” to National Geographic books on otters and more.
“It’s fun to see them all excited to get a book,” said
Rotarian Shelley Anderson when she came with McIntyre to Welches Elementary
School on Friday, April 14, to give out books. “(Reading is) the key to
everything.”
“A powerful way to build young readers is to allow kids to
choose books they are interested in reading,” Welches Schools Principal Kendra
Payne added. “This gift from Rotary allows kids to do just that, choose their
own book to read and also to keep.”
“I want to thank the Sandy Rotarians for choosing to support
the academic success of our youngest students,” OTSD Superintendent Aaron Bayer
said. “Owning their own books inspires a sense of pride and excitement for
learning.”
The Sandy Rotary Club has partnered with other local groups
to support projects, including the Sandy Senior Center, Ant Farm, Sandy Action
Center, City of Sandy and Sandy Kiwanis Club. McIntyre noted that no specific
projects are planned for the immediate future, but the group will be
fundraising for projects down the road. She added that Rotarians are expected to
sell tamales at the Sandy Library’s Spring Celebration, on Saturday, May 6,,
and at the City of Sandy’s Run/Walk with Pride on Saturday, June 10, to benefit
Students Advocating for Equality. The club also hopes to sell mini pies at this
year’s Sandy Mountain Festival.
The Sandy Rotary Club meets at 4:30 p.m. on the second and
fourth Wednesdays of each month, at the Sandy Family Restaurant, 39024 Proctor
Blvd. in Sandy. To learn more about the Rotary Club of Sandy, visit
www.sandyrotary.com.
By Garth Guibord/MT
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