MVUSD Receives $7K From Murrieta Rotary for Reading Intervention Program

Meeting in a regularly scheduled session on Thursday, the Murrieta Valley Unified School District School Board was briefed about a $7,500 grant received from Rotary District 5330 and the Rotary Club of Murrieta to provide additional reading materials for the district’s literacy intervention program.

The school district will use the grant funds to purchase Read 180 materials for five Murrieta elementary schools. READ 180 is an intensive supplemental reading program that replaces the basic curriculum with engaging, interactive books and materials that help accelerate the reading skills of struggling readers who are two or more years below grade level.

Through its Community Services committee, the Murrieta Rotary looked for a way in which it could address local literacy concerns and budgeted $5,000 for the 2012-13 Rotary year for this program.  An additional $2,500 was granted from The Rotary International Foundation and Rotary District 5330 in which the Murrieta club resides.

Working with Char Gollogly, MVUSD Executive Director of Elementary Education, and Sue Hall, an Instructional and Literacy Coach, the Rotary Club was able to fund complete sets of Read 180 materials for the five schools and establish opportunities for Club members to volunteer as assistants in many of the reading intervention classes.

“When Rotary-Murrieta approached the school district with a desire to not just give a monetary donation for books, but also a time donation by their members, our staff responded enthusiastically,” said Hall.  “As one teacher wrote, ‘I would be THRILLED to have a volunteer during ANY of my intervention classes."

“This is such a rewarding program for us in Rotary, and it fits perfectly into that part of the Rotary Code of Conduct to provide opportunities for young people, to work for the relief of the special needs of others, and to improve the quality of life in my community,” said LouEllen Ficke, chair of the Club’s Community Services committee.

One of Rotary International’s areas of focus is Education, according to Ficke.  According to the RI website, “. . .more than 775 million people over the age of 15 are illiterate. Our goal is to strengthen the capacity of communities to support basic education and literacy. . .”

As the MVUSD Board was meeting, the Murrieta Field of Honor, another of the Club’s community projects, was ongoing in Town Square Park. The Field of more than 2,013 flags will be up through Saturday’s 2 p.m. closing ceremony. Some 2,000 MVUSD students have participated in activities there this week.

The Rotary Club of Murrieta was chartered on April 28, 1992. The club is involved in many international and community projects, in cooperation with Rotary International, which has as its theme "Service Above Self."  Club meetings are held Mondays (excepting holidays) at noon at Richie's Diner, 40651 Murrieta Hot Springs Road, in Murrieta.  For information regarding the club or membership visit www.murrietarotary.org or call President Patsy Orr, 951-693-5589.

—News release submitted by the Rotary Club of Murrieta