Dolly Parton's Imagination Library

In 1996, Dolly Patron launched a literacy program for children in her home county in east Tennessee. She wanted to foster a love of reading in pre-school children and their families. She gave a brand new, age appropriate book each month to every child under 5 years old in her county and mailed it directly to their home.

The program was an incredible success and Imagination Library was launched across the United States. In November 2006, the program was expanded to Canada.

Numerous Rotary Clubs have partnered with Imagination Library to bring literacy to their communities.

For more information about the program and how it works visit Dolly Parton's Imagination Library website at: http://imaginationlibrary.com

Pathways in Literacy Project - El Salvador

Dear Fellow Rotarians;

Our annual campaign for the children in El Salvador is now underway. We are presently supporting 310 children to attend school. This is through a combination of individual donors, Rotary clubs and matching grants. Many members of our club are helping El Salvador children to attend school; others have helped through participating in a matching grant, helping with the Spaghetti Dinner fund raiser or assisting with the fund raising. Just a reminder that your donation of $250 pays for uniforms, food, health care and school supplies. The photos gives some idea of the impact our help is having in El Salvador. 

Right now, the country is dealing with torrential rains and excessive flooding. Our colleague, Lynne Ternosky is in the country right now and is reporting a lot of devastation, yet incredible resilience and fortitude by the people as they deal with this latest disaster. Classes continue! Please help by making a donation to the 2011 El Salvador Pathways to Literacy Campaign, and help keep a child in school.

To those of our club who have already contributed, many thanks, enjoy the photos of your dollars at work.



Yours in Rotary,
Jane Kirkpatrick, Secretary
Festival City Rotary Club (Stratford) Foundation

District Literacy Resolution Adopted by TRF

At the 2010 District 6330 Conference, the District passed a resolution in support of redefining how the Rotary Foundation defined literacy project grant eligibility.

At the September 2011 Rotary Foundation meeting, the Trustees accepted and passed the resolution ensuring that global grant applications focusing on secondary school students would also be eligible for TRF funding. The resolution reads as follows:

"A-12-b. Report on the Future Vision Committee: Areas and Global Grants Updates DECISION: The Trustees

1. amend the definition of the basic education and literacy area of focus as follows:

Support activities and training to improve universal primary education for all children and literacy for children and adults."

District 6330 has made impact on TRF's global literacy grant policy.  Congratulations to all Clubs.

Project Literacy Initiative - District 6400

The Rotary Clubs of Southeast Michigan and Southwest Ontario (District 6400) band together to tackle Illiteracy in Detroit.



For more information see there website here.

Fairborn Rotary Club Literacy Project

Here's a great example of literacy projects undertaken by the Rotary Club of Fairborn, Ohio, USA.



You can find out more about Andy & Elmer's Apple Dumpling Adventure book here.

Rotary Reads

Rotary Reads is a joint Rotary Centennial project conceived and implemented by both the Rotary Club of Stratford and Festival City Club. It aims to promote literacy by placing bookcases of kid's books throughout the community. Bookcases were located at local food banks, family and social services offices, churches, the YMCA, women's shelters, family centres, Children's Aid Office and the hospital's emergency department. Book titles were selected by a local Children's Librarian to include some of the best children's literature available. Some titles included are: The Hungry Catepillar, Night Cars, The Paperbag Princes, Stellauna, and Where the Wild Things are.

The picture says it all.

What is Literacy?

"Literacy" is an ever-expanding term and its definition tends to reflect the context in which literacy skills are used. The skills required to be successful in the past century are quite different from the skills that are required into today's world.

UNESCO states that literacy is a "human right, a tool of personal empowerment and a means for social and human development." (UNESCO. Literacy Portal).

The International Adult Literacy and Skills Survey (IALSS) defines literacy as "the ability to understand and employ printed information in daily activities at home, at work and in the community - to achieve one's goals, and to develop one's knowledge and potential."


Some of the types of literacy that have been identified are:

• Early/Basic Literacy
• Adult Literacy 
• Numeracy
• English as Second Language (ESL)
• Visual Literacy (understanding and appreciation of art, film, theatre)
• Digital Literacy (The "New" Literacy)

However literacy is defined, we know that reading, by its very nature, promotes understanding, compassion, empathy and tolerance. It's our best weapon in our fight against ignorance, bigotry, despair and the darkness of the human soul.

About This Blog...

In 1985, Rotary International declared basic literacy to be a pre-condition to the development of world peace.

This blog will provide resources on literacy for Rotary Clubs in District 6330. The blog will showcase literacy projects in the District, as well as programmes or organizations that Clubs may wish to partner with. It is hoped that the blog will also act as a forum in which Rotarians from all around the world, can shared and discuss their literacy projects.