 Kids are four times more likely to be successful if they are reading at the the third grade level by the end of the third grade than those that are not. The difference between less-advantaged homes and more advantaged homes in our society is a 30 million word gap in a child's first five years. This difference represents the number of words used, heard and read to between homes on one side of the poverty line versus the other. It sounds like helping our kids be successful starts early in life! This was the message from Dennis Keer, the Executive Director of the Kansas Masonic Literacy Center, whose goal is to provide: - Service to schools, teachers and students;
- Service for families and communities at the Kansas Masonic Literacy Center;
- Research for the betterment of literacy development.
The Literacy Center is funded by two grants: A $4 million grant from the Kansas Masonic Lodge that covers all of Kansas, and another $2 million grant for Lyon and the surrounding counties to promote kindergarten readiness. Some of the programs that are being encouraged by the Literacy Center include: - Mobilizing Literacy at the David Traylor Zoo last fall attracted over 150 people.
- Reading Readiness Workshops for pre-school educators.
- Dolly Parton Foundation funds a book per month for every child from birth through age 5.
- One School One Book at Village School
For more information, go to the Kansas Masonic Literacy Center's website, www. Emporia.edu/literacy. |
Frank Abart, Emporia Utilities Director and Mark McAnarney, 
Emporia City Manager both commented on the challenges of managing an aging infra-structure under our streets. In Emporia for the past three years, Frank's focus in Emporia has been identifying weak utility areas and systematically trying to replace or upgrade them ahead of failures. It is estimated that 20% of aging water mains will need to be replaced annually over the next few years. Here are some of the projects discussed:
Kristy Bayer is our newest Rotary Club member. Ed Bashaw sponsored Kristy into our club. Thanks for joining us, Kristy!
Judy Brigham, who happens to be a Rotary District Governor of District 6110 (parts of Kansas, Oklahoma, Arkansas and Missouri), as well as her husband Tom and granddaughter Jaci Gall, recently returned from Oaxaca, Mexico where they distributed 140 wheel chairs. They call their project the American Wheel Chair Mission Project, and they raise the funds from various organizations, including Rotary Clubs, and use those funds to purchase high-quality, low-maintenance wheel chairs for those in need. During this trip, they delivered the chairs to those associated with CRIT (for mentally & physically disabled), to a nursing home, and to several homes. The rewarding part is seeing the true appreciation of those who would not otherwise be able to have a wheel chair. They are now considering another mission trip in the future to deliver additional wheel chairs. 
