Dolly Parton's Imagination Library is providing free books for children.
Dolly Parton's Imagination Library was created in 1995 to share the life and legacy of Dolly Parton as an inspiration to all children to Dream More, Learn More, Care More and Be More. Erin Hardesty is heading up the local program for Women United, an initiative of the United Way of Greater Lima whose goal is to make a positive impact in the lives of others. She told us that Dolly Parton's Imagination Library gives one free book every month to children ages birth through five, regardless of income in order to help inspire a love of reading and learning in children. " A baby’s brain grows rapidly before entering school; it is 90% developed by age 4. Children with access to more books and who are read to more often have greater brain activity in areas involving imagination, language and understanding. Reading is the key for lifelong learning and the single most important activity for building knowledge required for eventual success in school, work, and life in general." It costs $25 to give one child a new book every month for a year. The Ohio State Legislature provides half of the funding each year and Mid-Ohio Energy provides the other half. To sign up your children or grandchildren, just go to OhioImaginationLibrary.org. Every month, you child will receive an age appropriate book mailed directly to him or her.
Also at Monday's meeting, we welcomed two new members: Sarah Newland, the new director of Allen County Children Services; and Cindy Endsley, Superintendent of the Perry Local School District. Welcome, ladies!
The Legacy Arts Street Party is back! The 200 block of Main Street will be shut down on Saturday, August 7, 2021 to provide a safe, family-friendly environment filled with great art, food and music. The Rotary Club of Lima has volunteered to provide a Hydration Station to keep the attendees hydrated throughout the day. We have a number of volunteers lined up already. We just need a few more. We will have our brand new Rotary canopy and a few chairs and coolers. All you need to do is enjoy the weather, smile, hand out water and possible answer questions about what our club does. Looking for 2-hour shifts between noon and 8:00 pm. Contact John Ficorilli to sign up.
Welcome to the new Rotary year — a year when you will be called upon to Serve to Change Lives and achieve big dreams. Because of your passion for achieving great things, we will grow more and do more.
Dear change-makers,
Welcome to the new Rotary year — a year when you will be called upon to Serve to Change Lives and achieve big dreams. Because of your passion for achieving great things, we will grow more and do more.
Our Action Plan, Rotary’s strategic road map, sets our course and strengthens us for the future by focusing on four priorities: increasing our impact, expanding our reach, enhancing participant engagement, and increasing our ability to adapt. This year, I am honored to move these priorities forward by leading with vision and implementing several initiatives that I believe will result in positive growth during 2021-22 and beyond.
Expanding our reach through Each One, Bring One
Rotary is a vibrant organization that has spread to nearly 200 countries and geographical areas and has a rich legacy of fighting to end polio. Don’t you think we could have a greater impact on the world if more people were practicing Service Above Self?
Members like you are our greatest asset. But for the last 20 years, Rotary membership has remained stagnant. Through a program I am calling Each One, Bring One, I ask each of you to commit to welcoming one new person into Rotary or Rotaract in the next 12 months. This one act of growing Rotary will make you true change-makers, because you will have helped us achieve in just 12 months what we could not do in 20 years. Of course, you will need to engage and retain these members as well. Member engagement is equally important for our organization’s growth.
As we welcome new members, let us continue to ensure that diversity, equity, and inclusion are ingrained into all aspects of Rotary. We believe that anyone who gets involved with Rotary — whether as a member, partner, or participant — must feel valued, respected, and welcomed. It is only by embracing the full diversity of the world that we will be able to grow and to achieve our goals.
I am thrilled that Rotaract membership continues to grow. This year, we are taking further steps to reaffirm and promote Rotaract as a distinct membership type in Rotary. I encourage Rotary and Rotaract clubs to find ways to connect with one another, perhaps by creating a mentorship program or partnering on a club-based initiative, district grant, or global grant. We achieve more when we work together!
Serve to change lives
Service is at the heart of my own connection to Rotary, which is why I want all of us to showcase Rotary’s good work by hosting Rotary Days of Service. Invite your members, neighboring clubs, local civic organizations, program alumni, friends, family, and the public to join you for a community service event. Let Rotary Days of Service be a celebration of our passion for doing good.
As your club decides which causes to support this year, please consider projects that focus on empowering girls and creating equity for them. Whether it’s through a global grant project or a local program that your club supports, we can all contribute to the important work being done all over the world to expand access to education, improve sanitation, and fight gender discrimination and inequality. Girls are equal stakeholders in this world, and they should have equal rights.
We also need to let others know about all the wonderful work Rotary does. Each of you is a Rotary brand ambassador, so use social media, local media, and your club’s website to show your community — and the world — how you and your fellow Rotary members are people of action.
Increasing our impact
My friends, you are resilient, and you are doing amazing things to fight COVID-19. We adapted quickly to support our communities at the start of this pandemic, and we are committed until the very end. Let’s work to ensure that vaccines are made available equitably worldwide and that people get vaccinated as quickly as possible.
We recently awarded our first $2 million Programs of Scale grant to Partners for a Malaria-Free Zambia and will name our second Programs of Scale grant recipient this year. This award and our efforts to eradicate polio and fight COVID-19 are examples of how Rotary addresses significant needs on a large scale. These programs serve as models for how we can demonstrate our measurable and sustainable impact.
We have so much to look forward to in the year ahead, and together, we will do so much. Nothing is impossible for Rotarians and Rotaractors!
I am so honored to be on this journey with you.
Sincerely,
Shekhar Mehta Rotary International President, 2021-22
