This year, we received matching funds from Rotary District 6040 to improve the Hawklets’ Nest Library at Three Trails Preschool and to promote the Little Free Libraries that the Club has in the two Raytown Parks.
Three Trails Preschool – The Grant allowed us to purchase over 100 books, two bookshelves, two bean bag chairs, five Reading Buddies, and a rocking chair.
This project was selected because representatives at the school believe School is an extension of the community. Investing in our children is a direct investment in the future of our community. The Nest would also serve as a place where community volunteers and eager learners can meet and bridge the gap through learning and playing. They also believe School is an extension of the home whereby the students take their love for reading home, which builds the parent-child relationship.
Through these purchases, the following objectives were met:
Provide classroom support materials to teachers that will expand the students’ instructional experience.- Provide building support staff with resources to aid students needing additional social/emotional support.
- Stimulated students’ creative minds to desire factual knowledge and develop literacy appreciation, artistic values, and ethical standards.
- Provided information containing a wide range of views on issues so that students may develop the practice of critical reading and thinking.
- Provides materials representing and celebrating diverse people, places, and things.
Little Free Libraries in Coleman-Livengood and Kenagy Parks in Raytown – The goal was to get books to as many Raytown area children as possible. We registered our two libraries with Little Free Libraries, putting our two locations on the World Map so more people could find us. Through this organization, we also won books to put in our libraries. To reach more children, we gave books to kids at two Raytown Easter events: an Easter Egg Hunt sponsored by Sisters in Christ and a separate one sponsored by Raytown Main Street Association’s Eggstravaganza. Parents and kids alike were very enthusiastic about this project. Children were allowed to select two books each, and parents commented that they would have to read to the kids.
Rotary District 6040 and Raytown Rotary worked together to promote literacy and parent/child relationships in Raytown.