Costa Rica Literacy Global Grant Awarded to ROCR Club for $61,910 concludes in fall 2020.

Background

 Mr. Carl Dickerson the founder of the Give-A-Book Foundation and a Rotarian, initially contacted Mike Little, then President of the Rotary Club of Richmond in 2016-17, to consider partnering with Give-A-Book to grow the program in the U.S. and Costa Rica.  The primary aim of the program is to provide early school aged children English books to improve their reading skills. The program was initially set up in elementary school programs in the U.S. and is now established in Costa Rica  See: http://www.give-a-book.net 

The program is aligned with the Costa Rica elementary school curriculum with the intent to improve English speaking skill as students will be better prepared for jobs in the nations’s tourist industry and furthering their early school education. Costa Rica is a Central America country with a population of approximately five million people.

Goals:

1. Donate simple 10,000 English reading educational books to elementary level schools, in the Costa Rica Occidente community to be used by children;

2. Deliver books to over 20 schools and up to 4000 students

3. Provide training workshops for 50 teachers and school librarians in the use of the books for children and best practices

4. Measure/report what improvements occurred as a result of the Give-A-Book program at respective schools
   

In the fall of 2016, President Mike asked two Rotary Club of Richmond members, E.M. Miller and John Delandro to visit the "Escuela de San Pedro de Jicaral" elementary school in the Nicoya Peninsula of Cost Rica.  Once there they met with teachers, students and Peace Corps volunteers and reported back to the Club about the educational needs of the school.  After that visit, the Richmond Club's Board of Directors approved a check for $900 for books for the Jicaral school. 

In March 2017, President Mike, and Past President and District Asst. Governor Jeanne Walls, visited the Jicaral school bringing additional books.  They also met with Gerardo Lorenzen then President of the the San Pedro Curridibat Club in San Jose to pursue a Rotary International Global Grant.  In March 2018 Mike Little met with Occidente School District, and Costa Rica Ministry of Education personnel to assess community needs and to finalize the grant application with San Pedro Curridibat club officers.

Subsequent trips were made to Costa Rica in March 2019-20 to deliver books and monitor the grant with club members. The grant concluded in 2021. For more information contact Mike Little, grant author at mwlittle@vcu.edu.

Rotary District 7600  $7000

Mechanicsville Rotary Club $500

River City Rotary Club  $500

Sandston Rotary Club $500

South Richmond Rotary Club $500

The Rotary Club of Richmond $500 (lead club)

We thank above sponsors for their generosity to this most worthwhile community wide project!