Pledge of Allegiance
led by Anthony Hollingshead
Inspiration
Cap Willey inspired us with:
March is Women’s History Month; Daylight Savings Time is on March 10; and it’s the best month for basketball with March Madness! But it’s not the best for businesses since they lose an estimated $4 billion during the playoffs.
March 5th might be the best day – National Cheese Doodle Day – thanks Cap for sharing the doodles!
Announcements
President Kris made the following announcements:
Joining the meeting on Zoom: Art Norwalk, Emily Bernstein and Barry Fain (glad you’re feeling better, Barry!)
There will be a literacy committee meeting in the next few weeks and the membership committee is planning a group orientation meeting for all new members at the end of March.
Incoming officers and and new board members please note there is a District training at New England Tech in East Greenwich on Saturday, April 6th.
Rob Black is hosting a Tent Dinner on March 21. Please contact Mary Brewster if you would like to attend.
The annual Providence Bruins game for polio is on March 24 at the AMP. You can purchase tickets on the 7950 website. Tickets are $22, $5 of each ticket will be donated to Rotary International’s campaign to end polio.
Last week’s Rotary After Dark was a success and volunteers finished labeling books at the George West School.
Happy Bucks
Pete Brock led the celebration
- Pete was happy to have Jaeger off the injured reserve list after a three-day hospitalization.
- Jane Berkowitz had $5 happy bucks to welcome speaker, Jennifer Smith and for Books Are Wings.
- President Kris was happy her daughter and son-in-law were able to leave Lake Tahoe before the snow arrived.
- Cap was happy to help his two granddaughters with investing. One, an art major, wanted to invest in socially responsible funds and did ok. The other granddaughter, a business major, invested in Apple and Global AI and made a 25% return!
- Mary Brewster was happy to host a Tent Supper on Saturday night and for speaking at the Providence Art Club this Wednesday about walking the Camino de Santiago in Spain.
- Bill Applegate had $10 happy bucks for Holly’s a cappella singing performance on Saturday night and for a visit from their son, his wife and two children.
- Art Norwalk is happy to be on Zoom and not in person spreading his cold to other members.
Speaker
Jane Berkowitz introduced Jennifer Smith, executive director of Books Are Wings.
Jennifer received her B.A. in English Literature from Clark University and her master's degree in education from Harvard University. Before coming to Books are Wings in 2023, she held positions as a program director at the Downtown Providence Parks Conservatory and as a researcher at the Harvard Family Research Project.
Jane said Books Are Wings is a small, but mighty 22-year-old organization, with a mission to put free and high-quality books in the hands of children and their families. Early and easy access to books and literacy programs can unlock a love of learning that encourages success in school – learning to read is the first step in reading to learn. Statistics show that if a child doesn’t learn to read by the third grade, they are four times less likely to graduate from high school.
The agency focuses on the cities of Providence, Pawtucket, Woonsocket and Central Falls because of high poverty rates and only 18% of children meet reading requirements. Building home libraries is an important component of the program because 61% of children’s homes have no books.
Last year they served children in 56 schools and distributed approximately 60,000 books. The agency acquires gently used books through community book drives, including the United Way’s, where 35,000 books were donated in 2023. Staff and volunteers sort books for appropriate content before distribution. Children can choose their own books at school, summer camp programs and other community activities.
