Club approves budget for Tri-club Northern Literacy project
Posted by John Borst on Nov 30, 2016
Rtns Jeannie and Jack McMaster provided an update on the Tri-Club northern literacy project.
The three Rotary clubs in Northwestern Ontario namely Dryden, Kenora and Sioux Lookout have agreed to jointly fund a literacy initiative to provide books to the school at Sandy Lake First Nation.
Sandy Lake First Nation (or Negaw-zaaga'igani Nitam-Anishinaabe) is an independent Oji-Cree First Nations band government. The First Nations community, in the west part of Northern Ontario, is located in the Kenora District, 227 kilometres northeast of Red Lake, Ontario. As of December 2015, the total registered population reached 3,034
The goal of the program is to have the children in Grades 1 and 2 read books to their parents.The three Rotary clubs would purchase culturally appropriate books and train the teachers in the purpose of program. The teachers would work with students to pick books that children could take home and read to their parents/siblings.
The cost of the initiative is approximately $7000.00 which includes books, backpacks with a Rotary logo, and some sundry items. The cost is to be shared among the three clubs. Kenora Rotary has volunteered to shoulder more than one-third of the cost since they are the largest club.
It is planned for the program to start in September 2017. A motion was put forward to participate in the Tri-club Northern Literacy project and carried unanimously.