To My Fellow Rotarians:

I am very excited to tell you about the Akron Rotary Club’s new literacy program with the Salvation Army of Akron.

The program will have Rotarians volunteer to conduct reading sessions with children who are enrolled in summer day care at the Salvation Army.  The Rotarians would promote literacy by reading aloud to the children, by having them read aloud in their small group, and finally by conducting an activity to encourage the excitement and comprehension of the reading for that day.  All reading materials will be provided to the Rotarians.

Children ages 5-12 will be involved in the program. The Salvation Army currently has 44 enrolled in its day care program, but is licensed for 55 children. Of course, the number of children in attendance may change slightly each day.

The children will be grouped by grade level (K-5). There will be no more that 5 children in each group.  Some groups may have less than 5 children. 

The reading program will run from June 20, 2012 through August 22, 2012.  The Salvation Army would like 5 Rotarians to volunteer for this program one day each week from 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m.  The Rotarians would conduct 3 separate 40 minutes sessions during this time.  The Salvation Army has asked that we participate on the following dates:

Wednesday               June 20, 2012
Thursday                    June 28, 2012  
Wednesday               July 11, 2012. 
Wednesday               July 18, 2012
Wednesday               July 25, 2012
Wednesday               August 1, 2012
Thursday                    August 9, 2012
Wednesday               August 15, 2012
Wednesday               August 22, 2012 

The Salvation Army of Akron is located at 190 South Maple Street in Akron.  All volunteers should use the Hall Street entrance.  A representative from the Salvation Army will escort the volunteers to the third floor of the building where the classroom areas are located.  There will be a brief meeting at the Salvation Army from 12:00 p.m. to 1:00 p.m. on June 20, 2012 to discuss any questions, or as suggested a small training session.

This is sure to be a wonderful program.  It not only will be tremendously beneficial for the children, but will also be a rewarding experience for everyone who participates.

Please help us guarantee the success of this program by signing up as soon as possible so that we can ensure all days are covered. The volunteer schedule is attached and will also be on the Rotary website. If you are unable to make a commitment to volunteer for the 9 weeks of this program, please consider signing up as a “Substitute Volunteer” to be called if and when needed.  You may also sign up to volunteer by contacting Louise Mazur at 330-434-6682 or responding via email to lmazur@brouse.com.

Thank you kindly for your time and consideration.

Louise Mazur
Rotary Club of Akron

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