Happy September! This month we acknowledge Basic Education and Literacy, one of the Rotary Foundation’s Areas of Focus. On Rotary.org it explains, “Basic Education and literacy are essential for reducing poverty, improving health, encouraging community and economic development, promoting peace.”In District 7120 students head back to school, but in a new challenging way. Students are now being taught both in-person and virtually.
While we are no longer able to work directly in the schools, such as handing out dictionaries to 3rd graders in person, we need to stay connected and seek opportunities to meet the challenges affecting our children and schools.
This is the time that a light is shown on Literacy and education as well as how Rotarians can support it with service projects and fundraising. Rotarians generously support literacy and education by actively raising money for scholarships, spearheading backpack, and educational supplies projects, coordinating book donations, and creating little free libraries, among other projects.
This month the Rotary District Literacy Committee is hosting their annual Literacy Seminar. This year the Seminar will be presented virtually on Zoom. The Seminar theme is entitled, “Literacy Opens Opportunities. How will your club?” The Literacy Seminar is scheduled for Saturday, September 26 from 10:00 AM-12:00 PM. Upon registration, participants will receive a Zoom invitation (more details will be sent soon.) I encourage you to attend the 2020 District Literacy Seminar and share your ideas on the topic. I hope to see you there!
On another subject pertaining to Education, Rotary International and Toastmasters International are, according to the joint announcement, “teaming up to strengthen their member skills and broaden their opportunities. The Toastmaster-Rotary Alliance will leverage the strength of both organizations to help members personally and professionally.”
Recently, I was on a Zoom call with fellow District Governors and representatives from Toastmasters as well as our RI regional membership representative Diana Edwards. We discussed how the organizations can work together. There may even be an opportunity to create clubs of Rotarians and Toastmaster members. You can go to www.toastmasters.org/Rotary to learn more about the Rotary-Toastmasters Alliance. You can also type in where you live to find nearby Toastmasters clubs. Like many Rotary clubs, Toastmaster clubs have been meeting virtually.
Please contact me if you are interested in discussing the partnership between Rotary and Toastmasters at the local level. In particular, if anyone in the District belongs to both a Rotary Club and a Toastmaster Club (I know you are out there), I would like to meet and hear your thoughts on possible collaboration.
Until next month-
Yours in Rotary,
DG Linda Kohl