UPDATE:
LAUNDROMAT READING CORNER PROJECT
I hope you had a wonderful
Thanksgiving with family and friends! I enjoyed meeting and talking with many
of you at Fall Conference in North Conway N. H. It was a fun time,
and I especially enjoyed your enthusiasm for Young Children
Priority One.
I am writing to follow up on the
Reading Corners for Laundromats Project. When you submit a local zip code to
Sara Watson, (swatson@readynation.org), you will hear
back from her to let you know if there are any laundromats who are members of
the Coin Landry Association(CLA) in your area. It may happen that there
are no members of CLA in your requested area. Please don’t give up on this project!
Sara Watson will send you an introductory
letter about the project and other information which can be shared with the
laundromat owner in your area. Plan B is to approach a laundromat owner with
the given Information from Sara, explain the project and the Kiwanis Club’s
role , and hopefully working together the Reading Corner can be set up. It’s
important to contact the owner of the laundromat, and not a worker or
manager! You may also try to contact the owner with the information from
ReadyNation via USPS with your contact information, It’s also appropriate
to talk about Kiwanis and our mission. It’s very possible the laundromat owner
may become a Potential New Member(PNM)
I know some of you have approached
Laundromat owners directly and are well on you way towards setting up a Reading
Corner. Please remember you can purchase
a kit (bookshelf, books, rug and posters) through ReadyNation. Contact Sara
Watson, and she will direct you on buying the kit of materials.
LINKS will be provided to order:
1. the book holder (2’ x 1’)
2. rug (3’ x 5’ – optional
if space is tight)
3.
books ages 1-5 yrs. of age are
available from
FirstBook
Scholastic
Books (scholastic.com)
Reading
Warehouse (readingwarehouse.com) for a Bargain Book Box 25 books for $45
or
gently used books may be used.
4. Posters and sign asking
that the books remain at the laundromat
5.
Form to get permission to take
photos and use them for publicity purposes
GREAT
NEWS! The Kiwanis Foundation of New England,
through their Grant Program, has pre-approved $1600
funding to help pay for the kits for the
Reading Corners(total cost per kit ).A Kiwanis Club must fill out the KFNE
Grant application with specific information about the laundromat where the
Reading Corner will be set up. Submit the completed application to grants@kfne.org.
The Club will receive $200 to buy the kit from ReadyNation. The grant
money will be distributed on a “first come, first serve” basis. Each Club
may apply only once for this assistance.
Once the Reading Corner is established the
Kiwanis Club MUST submit to KFNE:
A minimum of eight (8) 4”x 6”
non-returnable color photos capturing the event/project in various
phases, along with a summary, at the completion of the project.
There are approximately 135 Kiwanis Clubs
in the New England Distrct. Wouldn’t it be great if we set up 135 Laundromat
Reading Corners? Thank you for your support of Young Children Priority One.
If I can be of help, please contact
me.
Sincerely,
Av a
Adams, District Coordinator
Young Children Priority One
Scarborough Maine Kiwanis Club
New England and Bermuda District
