Marana Rotary Meeting
Attendance:
Richie
Bob
Don
Jo
Mary
Denise
Dan
Harold
Randy
Lynne
David
Javier
Mirabel
Richie lead us in the pledge and it was announced there would be no song today. Everyone was devastated
Thought of the day: Jim Henson- life is like a movie, write your own movie, keep believing and keep pretending (imagination and creativity)
Announcements: Dan feels better about the Tour de Cookie two weeks post event. We are sticking with 175-ish riders
Breaking News: the month of May starts next week! May is busy with the district assembly in Green Valley, food bank distribution, book fair at roadrunner, MCAT graduation and our 5th Tuesday social at Mr. An’s
The MCAT graduation is at 7pm at Gladden Farms Elementary per the CFO of MUSD. Plans are in place to possible have dinner prior
Rotary Vocational Fund update: we had a young lady interview for a dental hygienist school. They awarded her $3000 for her education.
Happy bucks:
Richie learned the Boy Scouts are working on growing new coral for the reefs in the Florida Keys
Randy-won the basketball pool
Don- spent two weeks in France (admittedly missing the tour de cookie)
Mary- met a man who will be making Mirabel a dress for her 18th Birthday
Jo- spent a few days with her son in New York
Joke off..... something about a surgeon and god and attorney and chaos.... debating which profession was created first….or Some of was about a catholic priest and a jackass(donkey).... needless to say, Lynn was voted as the winner
A lot of people are just happy in general for no apparent reason
Raffle was won by Randy, Bob was saddened by his loss but happy Randy pulled a 5 of Diamonds.
Susan Friese was our guest speaker from Literacy Connects. Literacy Connects is a Tucson nonprofit connecting people of all ages to a world of opportunities through literacy and creative expression.Literacy Connects was hatched from an idea from a town hall meeting. Volunteers came together to discuss issues plaguing the community. Literacy was at the core of it all.
The literacy community came together and started the organization. The ones that came together were:
Literacy volunteers of Tucson
Reading seed
Stories that soar
Literacy for life coalition
Reach out and read southern Arizona
They helped over 45,000 learners in 2017. The ages now range between newborn to 86. They have over 1,000 volunteers who help their organization. All their classes are free to anyone who needs them. They do not take any state education funding because of two issues: they must include standardized testing and they must provide immigration status.
Their approach to working with students is student focused, individualized learning based on trust and personal relationships. They focus on the student’s abilities versus what they are lacking.
Their reading seed program goes into elementary schools and identify those who are reading below their grade level. From there they are assigned a reading coach. Their goal is to connect to the students and find out what they are interested in to get them reading something.
Here is an excerpt from their website:
Envision a community where every child graduates from high school, crime and poverty rates are low, a skilled workforce is fostering a thriving economy, and the arts and culture environment is second to none. We do!
From birth throughout adulthood, Literacy Connects’ programs offer opportunities for learners of all ages to realize their potential — at school and in the workplace, as parents, as consumers and as participants in the life of our community. Last year, our staff and more than 1,500 dedicated volunteers helped more than 50,000 individuals in Southern Arizona. The programs of Literacy Connects coach children in reading so they catch up with their peers and help adults with reading, writing, math and English. The programs teach parents the importance of reading to their children, help young people experience the power of words and ideas through the arts, and put books in the hands of people who need them.