Guide to District 7450
Literacy Award for Rotary Clubs

More than 775 million people over the age of 15 are low literate.

That is 17 percent of the world’s adult population.

Our goal is to strengthen the capacity of communities to support basic education and literacy, reduce gender disparity in education, and increase adult literacy. We support education for all children and literacy for children and adults.

HOW ROTARIANS HELP: We take action to empower educators to inspire learning at all ages.  We also support service projects that promote literacy to multiple populations.

Promoting literacy and education is one of Rotary International’s seven areas of focus. The Rotary Foundation supports education through scholarships, donations, and service projects around the world.

Literacy Goals for All Clubs

• Every Rotary year plan to undertake at least one literacy project locally and/or internationally.
• Earn a District Literacy Award by completing three literacy projects in a year. Complete five for District Literacy Award with Distinction.
• Plan literacy projects that are newsworthy and expose your club to the public.
• Use your literacy projects to recruit new members.
• Partner with your local library and/or literacy organization to expand the scope of your club’s literacy project(s).
• Partner with other Rotary clubs that have disadvantaged communities to support their literacy projects.
• Publicize your literacy project(s) using social and print media to broaden awareness of Rotary and your club and to recruit partners and volunteers.
• Try to make your project a “bricks and mortar” project like “Rotary Reading Nooks” where you can place a Rotary club poster or plaque and club information materials.
• Invite Interactors and Rotaractors to participate in your literacy projects.
• Participate in the District-wide Literacy Project.

This year our project will be “Little Free Libraries”.  https://littlefreelibrary.org/

Little Free Library inspires a love of reading, builds community, and sparks creativity by fostering neighborhood book exchanges around the world. Through Little Free Library book exchanges, millions of books are exchanged each year, profoundly increasing access to books for readers of all ages and backgrounds.

Club Service Suggestions

• Devote a club meeting to creating awareness of literacy projects and to choose a project (s) to undertake.
• Conduct Rotary theme of the month projects creating awareness of the literacy aspects of theme of the month, e.g. in December, Family Literacy Month.
• Invite a literacy speaker to a club meeting, e.g. Librarians, Reading teachers.
• Recruit a new member with a literacy classification.

Vocational Service Suggestions

• Recognize a community leader who is a “Literacy Champion” and invite literacy professionals to the event.
• Recognize an outstanding teacher each year on World Teacher’s Day in October and invite school administrators.

International Service Suggestions

• Contribute to an international mini-library, book supplies or equipment project; e.g. Hands Across the Sea.
• Participate in a literacy and education-focused international project that is connected to health, hunger and water concerns.
• Find an international partner and support their proposed project. 

Community Service Suggestions

• Start a community library where one is not available.
• Sponsor a Summer Reading Competition at your local library or school. Award prizes for the most books read.
• Start a campaign in schools to promote reading instead of video games or TV.
• Provide volunteers with supplies for Stories in the Parks during the summer. Schedule volunteers to meet in a local park to read to children and parents weekly.
• Provide books to children at local food pantries.
• Establish a literacy center in a local library where adults can study and meet tutors.
• Deliver library books to shut-ins.
• Provide journals to students to create their own stories.
• Read to elementary students during Rotary Literacy Month in March, also Read Across America.
• Sponsor a “1,000 Books Before Kindergarten” program. Parents are encouraged to read 1,000 books to their child before starting kindergarten.
• Schedule Rotarian “Reading Buddies” to read  with or to their student buddies.
• Celebrate National Library Week, each April, with a project at your local library.

District Library Consultants

Bucks County – Martina Kominiarek CEO   215-348-9081

Chester County – Joseph Sherwood, Director   610-344-5600

Delaware County – Catherine Bittle, MLS   Director of Library Services    610-891-8622

Free Library of Philadelphia – Leslie M. Walker, Interim Director    215-686-5306

Montgomery County – Kathleen Arnold-Yerger, Executive Director   610-278-5100

Adult Literacy Providers

Delaware County Literacy Council:  www.delcoliteracy.org   610-876-4811

Philadelphia Mayor’s Commission on Literacy: www.philaliteracy.org/adultedu@phila.gov     215-686-5250

Volunteer English program in Chester County:  www.volunteerenglish.org    610-918-8222

Chester County Opportunities Industrialization Center:  www.ccoic.org   610-692-2344

Literacy Council of Norristown: www.lcnlit.org    610-292-8515

Vita Education Services Bucks County: www.vitaeducation.org   215-345-8722

Financial Literacy Providers

Educational Materials – free from www.FDIC.Gov

Identity Theft –   free brochures online www.IdentityTheft.gov

Financial Literacy Programs – check with your local bank, University, Senior Citizen Groups

Project Ideas

Share information about your literacy projects with your District Literacy Committee Chair,

Kathy Sobczak at kathe.sobczak@gmail.com