Rotary READ / DictionaryRotary READ Fort Collins
Rotary READ Fort Collins’ (RRFC) mission is to foster a love of reading in elementary school-aged students. The program appeals to all age groups, but there is a special emphasis on students in grades 3 through 6.
A unique coalition: RRFC is a unique coalition of the four Fort Collins Rotary Clubs (Rotary Club of Ft Collins, Foothills Rotary Club, Fort Collins Breakfast and Fort Collins After Work), the Fort Collins Public Library, and the Poudre School District. RRFC’s activities (see below) focus on being an effective adjunct to educators’ and library professional’s efforts to increase reading habits at an early age. Goals and projects: The goals of the RRFC are 1) to place books in the hands of elementary school aged students and 2) to enable elementary school-aged students in Fort Collins to personally experience a presentation by and to meet an author who writes books that are popular with this age group. The RRFC strives to meet its goals through distribution of dictionaries to each 3rd grader in the Poudre School District, by hosting Rotary READ Week and by arranging for a children’s author to visit Ft. Collins to speak to children in several Poudre School District (PSD) schools.
RRFC works with various private foundations to buy enough dictionaries to put one in the hands of every third grader within the PSD. For school year 2007-2008, there are 1800 third grade students who will each receive their own personal Houghton Mifflen Children’s dictionary to keep. At a cost of $9.93 per dictionary this is a financial commitment of almost $18,000. As part of the Rotary READ initiative, we also organize Author Workshops, which consists of inviting a nationally renowned children’s author to visit Fort Collins and speak to six to eight elementary schools and the three Rotary Clubs. Selection of the elementary schools to host the author is based upon participation in Rotary READ Week. The Children's book author and speaker for 2006 was Robert San Souci (left) who spoke to several schools about how he writes his books, many of which are versions of fairy tales and folklore.
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Rotary READ Week started in 1992. During Rotary Read Week, each student is encouraged to read (or have someone read to them) at least 15 minutes per day. All elementary students (kindergarten through 6th grade) are invited to participate in the week’s reading. At the end of the week, students turn in a form indicating they have completed the required reading. A parent or guardian signs each form and each student returning a signed form receives a prize in recognition of his or her accomplishment. All returned forms are entered into a drawing for $10 gift certificates to local bookstores. Typically, 15% to 20% of the returned forms are awarded gift certificates. A Rotarian personally presents each certificate to the student. Many students who receive gift certificates have never owned a book before. In addition all students who have completed the reading get a Rotary READ pencil. 
Since 1995, 100% of Poudre School District elementary schools have been offered an author visit at least once. 97% of all PSD elementary schools have accepted the offer and presentations have been made to a number of private schools and public libraries. Most Fort Collins-area elementary school (public, private and home schooled) students have had the opportunity to see at least one author presentation before they move on to junior high school.