MILTON — Three Santa Rosa County elementary schools now can buy additional books for educational enrichment — books that wouldn’t have been available to students without the Milton Rotary Club’s efforts.
The club recently applied for, and received, a District 6940 Rotary Foundation grant to help purchase Accelerated Reader books and boost literacy at Bagdad, W.H. Rhodes and East Milton elementary schools.
In the Accelerated Reader program, students read a book at their current comprehension level, complete a test on the book, and then select a book at a more difficult reading level.
Natural Gas of Milton donated $500 to match the Rotary Foundation 6940 Grant and, through combined efforts, the club was able to cut a $750 check to each of the schools, making the total project valued at $2,250.
Milton City Manager Brian Watkins said the city “was delighted to be a part of such a worthwhile project for our local school children.”
Dr. Georgieanna Bryant, Milton Rotary Club president, said, “One of the strong priorities of Milton Rotary members has been to assist our local schools and young people.”
The club annually sponsors a scholarship for a senior at Milton and Central high schools, and annually donates personal dictionaries to third-graders at six local elementary schools. In many cases, this personal dictionary is the first book the students own.
This article originally appeared on Santa Rosa Press Gazette: Donations boost Bagdad, W.H. Rhodes and East Milton's literacy efforts