Written by Patrick Hart

 

Immediate Past President Tom Zengeler oversaw this week’s meeting, which we opened with a pledge, a prayer, and a singing of “I’m Dreaming of the Great Pumpkin.”

 

Ron Lapins is leaving for Florida shortly, and he will not return until mid-December.

 

 

ANNOUNCEMENTS:

During our Rotary minute we heard that over two and a half children have been vaccinated against polio around the world.

 

Last Sunday morning volunteers from our club packed the wine purchased at our wine tasting event.

 

Tom Zengeler is continuing to collect coats for veterans up until he distributes them on November 11.

 

Next week is Crazy Hat Day. I am not sure why, since I do not remember voting to give anyone authority to declare Crazy Hat Day, but apparently someone decided to fill in the void.  Anyway we all need to wear crazy hats to the meeting next Wednesday morning.  There will be a prize for the best hat and penalties for those who choose not to participate in the celebration.

 

Our club has tentatively scheduled our holiday party this year at the Post Time Bar and Grill on December 8. 

 

In anticipation of Halloween, Patricia Bleck brought materials for all of us to decorate Halloween bags.  Then as if that were not enough to make everyone feel fun and frolicy, she provided rubber spiders and Hershey Kisses for us to fill our bags with.  I have not played with my spider yet, but the Hershey Kisses were delicious.  

 

Our speaker this week was Mary Jane Hender, who in 2003 co-founded Reading Power in Lake County. Reading Power started operating in North Chicago, which they picked because it is a high poverty community, and there is a strong correlation, between illiteracy and poverty. They have since expanded into Zion and Waukegan.  In poorer areas children are often exposed to far fewer books than they are in middle class or wealthier suburbs.  In some poor neighborhoods there is only one child appropriate book for every three hundred children. 

 

Mary Jane believes that it is very important to give disadvantaged children help at as early an age as possible.  She says that the biggest problem is that children do not learn to read on time.  Reading Power thus concentrates on younger children with programs aimed at students in pre-kindergarten through second grade.

 

The program attempts to bring greater reading skills to these youngsters through one on one tutoring.  A child receives tutoring five days a week.  Since they rely on volunteers rather than full time staff, a youngster will generally receive a different tutor each day of the week.  Mary Jane believes though that this is a good approach, since the variety helps stimulate the learning process.  Reading Power currently has two hundred volunteer tutors, and since its founding in Lake County they have helped over four thousand students.

 

 

 

Mary Jane retired six years ago, and moved to South Carolina.  She started a Reading Power chapter in South Carolina, but they are no longer allowed to go into the schools there.  The problem is that the governor of South Carolina has forbidden wearing face masks in schools, and this negligence on the governor’s part has led to so many Covid cases at the schools that they have had to eliminate outside tutors coming in to help the students.  She has therefore temporarily returned to working to improve literacy in Illinois.

 

 

This week we had $31.00 in our weekly pot, and an $1,160.00 progressive prize with fifteen cards left.  Bob Zamor went for the big money, but to his chagrin he only drew the four of clubs, allowing the prize to roll over once more.  Then in a dazzling stroke of luck, one of his tickets also came up for the weekly drawing, and he walked away with the $31.00.  Knowing what an upbeat guy Bob is, I am hoping that his optimism prevailed, and rather than sulking all week about the $1,160.00 that got away, he went out and enjoyed his modest windfall.

 

Greeter and Prayer:  Rob Likus

 

Fun and Frolics: Tony Collins