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From left, Marissa Guerrera, Ava Hempfling and Martha Burns enjoy the eReaders that the Lamorinda Sunrise Rotary helped to fund. Photo provided
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Shortly after classes were under way last fall at Springhill Elementary School in Lafayette, fifth-grade teacher Martin Wong came up with the idea of replacing reading books in print form with their electronic counterparts.
After selling the idea to both of the other fifth-grade teachers, Christina Churchill and Deborah Hungerford, together they went knocking on the door of Springhill principal Mette Thallaug. To their elation, the reaction was affirmative, albeit with one caveat: Because no money had been budgeted for the purchase of eReaders, the funds would have to come from outside sources.
Within a few months, the full amount needed - $8,000 - had been raised, enough to acquire 120 Kindle Fires. Donations from parents, community members, and even strangers, with a matching gift from Chevron, were collected via DonorsChoose.org. As they neared the fundraising finish line, a check for $2,000 from Lamorinda Sunrise Rotary Club pushed them over the top.
For the Rotary club, it meant reviving a community service program it had long sponsored: handing out print dictionaries to every third-grader attending a Lafayette school. The program was dropped in 2010, by which time iPads, tablets and other internet-based technologies had begun to gain widespread use. Over a period of 10 years, Lamorinda Sunrise Rotary has donated more than $50,000 worth of Merriam-Websters.
Creation of Springhill's fifth-grade eReader project represented a perfect segue opportunity for the Club, redirecting its contributions toward updated curricular needs.
"We welcomed the opportunity to participate," said club president Ron Melvin. "Support of education has always been a priority commitment for Lamorinda Sunrise Rotary, as it is for Rotary clubs from coast to coast."
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Lamorinda Weekly, Moraga CA