Summary: Nearly 2,000 books provided to underserved elementary school students in Phoenix, Arizona, USA
It has been widely reported that in Phoenix, and across Arizona, only about 39 percent of 3rd grade students meet or exceed reading proficiency on statewide assessments. Resources are a major challenge, especially in lower income communities where families cannot afford "extra" items such as books. This project will fund enough books (about 2,000) to provide every student at five under served schools in Phoenix with their own book to keep. We've found that having access to age-appropriate books is a critical element to encouraging children to spend time learning to read outside of the classroom. The timeline for this project would begin in August or September, when our Club will reach out to our partners at "Delivering Dreams Arizona," will start collecting head counts from each participating school. This project should conclude in the early part of 2027, after every book has been purchased, organized and delivered to a student in Phoenix. All of the funds for this project will go toward the purchasing of brand new books for these students. Because of our partnership with "Delivering Dreams Arizona," we are able to get each book for less than $5 each. Rotarians will be used to organize the books into specific grade levels, and to hand-deliver each book to students at their school. That will likely take place in January or February 2027.
Approved
This project is "Approved". This means that the district leadership has reviewed and approved the allocation of district funds for this project. Once the funds from the district have been issued, the status of the project will be changed to "Paid".
