LEAF/Rotary/Kiwanis Partnership
LEAF/Rotary/Kiwanis Partnership Encourages Literacy and Summer Reading
It’s time to look for the green LEAF “PAKRAT Roll & Read Bus”! The District 742 Local Education & Activities Foundation (LEAF) announces that the 2016 Summer PAKRAT Literacy Program will begin on Tuesday, June 21.
The PAKRAT Summer Roll & Read Program expanded to all elementary school attendance areas last summer, with the help of a $15,000 gift from the St. Cloud Rotary Club, an additional $10,000 grant from LEAF, and support from District 742. The St. Cloud Kiwanis Club has also contributed funding in support of this unique literacy effort.
Building off the successful Pilot of the Talahi Read & Roll program, LEAF purchased a bus dedicated to providing a great reading opportunity for all of our students during those summer months when many students lack access to quality reading materials. With the generous donations from Rotary and other groups and individuals, thousands of books have been added to the Summer PAKRAT collection for the enjoyment of our young readers!
During the summer of 2015, 2,318 children checked out 4,475 books from the PAKRAT Roll & Read Bus!
The bus makes weekly stops at locations within “school clusters” so that all students have access to the bus and to quality reading materials. Stops include the three Boys & Girls Club locations and the schools which house summer Kidstop programs. Students from any school in District 742 can visit any the stops on any of these days – and students of any age are invited!
Anyone who has quality children’s books to contribute to this summer PAKRAT program contact Sara Martini at sara.martini@isd742.org or call the LEAF executive director at 320-309-8703. Citizens can make a financial donation to the program by credit card through the LEAF web page, or by sending a check to: LEAF, PO Box 1132, St. Cloud, MN 56302.