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About Cottage Grove sentinel. (Cottage Grove, Or.) 1909-current | View Entire Issue (March 18, 2021)
COTTAGE GROVE SENTINEL | MARCH 18, 2021 | 9A Cottage Grove Rotary donates $4,000 in new books to local rural schools By Damien Sherwood dsherwood@cgsentinel.com Rural schools in London and Dorena each received an infusion of literary ma- terial this past week as a to- tal of $4,000 in books were obtained with the help of the Rotary Club of Cottage Grove Oregon. “We are so grateful for this gift to get new books into the hands of our stu- dents,” said London School Principal Laurie Melendy. “Literacy is a passion and focus area in education and the opportunity to get this many new books all at once does not happen often.” The Rotary Club of Cot- tage Grove Oregon is a group is made up of a spec- trum of professional lead- ers in the community who focus on economic and community development. Rotary International lists seven areas of focus: peace and conflict prevention/ resolution; disease preven- tion and treatment; provid- ing water and sanitation; maternal and child health; growing local economies; protecting the environ- ment; and providing basic education and literacy. Dana Merryday, a mem- ber of the local Rotary Club, helped get the books to the schools by getting the local club’s initial $2,000 in- vestment matched through a District Grant. “For this grant, we decid- ed to focus on literacy right Blazing Fast Internet! ADD TO YOUR PACKAGE FOR ONLY 19 . 99 $ /mo. where available 2-YEAR TV PRICE GUARANTEE 64 $ 99 MO. America’s Top 120 Package 190 CHANNELS Including Local Channels! CALL TODAY - For $100 Gift Card Promo Code: DISH100 for 12 Mos. 1-866-373-9175 Offer ends 7/14/21. All offers require credit qualification, 24-month commitment with early termination fee and eAutoPay. Prices include Hopper Duo for qualifying customers. 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Last week, $2,000 in new books were presented to Dorena as well. here in our immediate area,” said Merryday, adding that rural areas often face eco- nomic hardship. “The most economically depressed are challenged and the ones least likely to have access to internet and or books, particularly with the public library being closed.” Both schools serve grades K–8 and it’s hoped the addi- tion of robust libraries will have a positive impact on the children’s’ lives. “Just to have a new influx of quality literature is very exciting and dynamic,” said Elizabeth Chandra LaHu- sen, past club president of the local Rotary Club. “It’s not just a matter of how many books — it’s also a matter of the quality and that they’re age-appropri- ate and that they’re used in a way that the children can relate to.” After small socially-dis- tanced presentations at- tended by school staff, administration and Rotari- ans, the books were put on display for children to get a chance to tour. Getting such literary ex- posure to rural students is a deep need. The closing of historic Latham School two years ago demonstrat- ed the challenges many ru- ral schools face in keeping afloat and the importance of providing opportunities for students. “I think there are some things that the small schools can address that the larger schools can’t in terms of the students’ needs, the sense of community within the school and the connected- ness and continuity within the school,” said LaHusen. Giving students an alter- native to a screen-dominat- ed world was important, too, she said. “Just to open up to the world of imagination and literature, it’s so exciting because we are in this elec- tronic era and that changes things a lot. So, to use the brain in that way, and to use your faculties of imag- ination in that way, it really does expand your horizons in a different way. And there’s a lot of value in that,” said LaHusen, hoping the books will inspire lifelong interests in reading. “To open up worlds and culti- vate meaning, I think is so valuable.” Delivering books to these schools has excited educa- tors as well. “We were able to give our library a much-needed lis- tening center to support all readers, provide classroom sets for book reports and class read alongs, and create an exciting inventory for our upper grades with up- dated and current books,” said Dorena School Princi- pal Devin Pixton. “We are so incredibly grateful and the adults here are just as overjoyed as our students.” Melendy, too, expressed her gratitude for the dif- ference the donation will make at London School. “We know the impor- tance of reading and how a good book can capture the imagination, build cu- riosity and knowledge for our students,” said Melen- dy. “Thank you, Rotary, for all that you give to our community and schools. 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