Dave Chavira (left), Chair of Rock Falls Rotary Literacy Committee, has just accepted one of the two awards being extended to Rock Falls Rotary from the Chair of the District Literacy Committee, Andy Axup of the Quad Cities (right), for their efforts to promote literacy in their community. The Club Achievement Award is for four areas of literacy: 1. A program to share literacy with its members: Rock Falls heard from Diane Verhulst about the books of L.I.F.E. being distributed to children through age 5 in Whiteside County 2. Financial support of a literacy program in the area, which was L.I.F.E of Whiteside County 3. A hands-on program in which Rotary members provide literacy skills or work with individuals in need of improvement : Rotarians read weekly in East Coloma -Nelson School to children in grades K through fourth grade 4. An awareness community event: Hometown Holiday Photo Booth at US Bank promotes children's story book characters and distributes information about community literacy. The second award from Andy Axup is for the longevity of a literacy program of a Rotary Club called the Sustained Excellence Literacy Award. Rock Falls Rotary earned this award for 19 years of reading to students at East Coloma Elementary School which started with one class and now is extended to all students in every class of Kindergarten through fourth grade weekly.
