Touring District 5400 is joyful!  There are sooo many impactful service projects taking place across Idaho and Oregon.   Rotarians + Service = positively impacting humanity! 

 

September is Basic Education and Literacy Month and it’s no coincidence that it’s back to school time, too. UNESCO reports that nearly 70 million more teachers are needed in the world by 2030 to provide every student with primary and secondary education.  A statistic like that may seem overwhelming, yet Rotarians are working today and into the future to ensure the gift of education and reading is present in our District.  From little libraries to big libraries, from school-based programs to after school programs, Rotary volunteers and district grants are positively impacting Idaho students. Thank YOU.

 

Breaking Chains is an academy of development in Nampa, ID that I toured this month.  They are just one of many examples of how enhancing education is reducing poverty, improving health, and encouraging community, that leads to personal peace where we live.  

 

When people ask me ‘where did you grow up?’ I generally answer with ‘everywhere and nowhere’ and the cover of the Dr. Seuss book Oh the Places You’ll Go comes to mind.  My dad was in the US Airforce and where my journey of attending nine schools by high school graduation began.

 

Reading was something I could do anywhere, anytime; books and the gift of reading gave me both an escape and a connection to communities. Pass on some books to students, fill a tiny library, support the gift of reading – it’s life changing no matter where you live.