The Rotary Club of Carrollton is initiating a literacy project, Today a Reader, Tomorrow a Leader, to provide books on the values of Rotary to Carroll County children. The program aims to address the lack of books and educational resources in impoverished homes, which can hinder children’s chances of success. According to the Rotary Club, more than 55% of children in Carroll County are economically disadvantaged. According to their research, it has been shown that children who grow up in homes with books and who are exposed to community service and leadership opportunities are more likely to achieve academic and career success. The ratio of books to children in middle-income neighborhoods is 13 times higher than in low-income neighborhoods, where the ratio is just one book per 300 children. Additionally, a staggering 61% of low-income families lack even a single book that would be appropriate for a child, per the Rotary Club.
The Rotary Club of Carrollton would like to sponsor the Rotary Ideals Literacy Project in Carroll County, partnering with the Rotary Club of Fairborn, Ohio, and TokoBooks. This program utilizes two children’s books, giving the club the opportunity to share the ideals of Rotary through the Four-Way Test and Rotary’s motto “Service Above Self” with the children in the community and also share with them how they can use these beliefs in their lives to make positive decisions.
According to the Rotary International website the “Four-Way Test is a nonpartisan and nonsectarian ethical guide for Rotarians to use for their personal and professional relationships. The test has been translated into more than 100 languages, and Rotarians recite it at club meetings:
‘Of the things we think, say or do
- Is it the TRUTH?
- Is it FAIR to all concerned?
- Will it build GOODWILL and BETTER FRIENDSHIPS?
- Will it be BENEFICIAL to all concerned?’”
The impact of this project will be significant with nearly 1,700 books being distributed amongst 1,611 third-grade students, 14 elementary school school media centers in Carroll County, six pediatric medical offices in Carroll County, 31 preschools/daycares in Carroll County, and the five libraries in Carroll County. The expense for this project is $12,000. The books will be distributed to Carroll County elementary schools between January 17 and February 7.
