We are recruiting Reading Buddies for the upcoming school year.  Each Reading Buddy is asked to commit to reading to their assigned classroom one a month.  Reading Buddies are vital to the success of Ready 2 Read, and as our project, we need all our members to volunteer.

If you are interested in being a Reading Buddy, please register online.  Friends, family and coworkers are also encouraged to sign up.  For more information, please contact Richard Davis richard.davis@willis.com.

Reading Buddy Facts & Questions

Rotaract is pleased to sponsor this project, which makes a tremendous impact on our community.  With great economic challenges still facing our community, many students do not have the basic supplies they need to help them begin the new school year.  This project equips these students with what they need to be ready to learn from day one.

The Club will need at least 5 volunteers at each location to help distribute supplies to children and families.  In order to participate in this exciting service project, register online.  For more information about this project, contact Willard McCall at  willardmccall@hotmail.com

Check out our service partner on facebook and twitter!

Market Street will facilitate the Regional Economic Development Strategy and Implementation Plan development process.  They will draw from our their experiences in other communities and national best practices to insure that the Greater Birmingham Region may benefit from the innovation of others.  However, the strategy and implementation plan that result from this process will be unique to the region’s needs, and will reflect the fact that every region has its own opportunities and challenges.

The development of a Regional Economic Development Strategy for Greater Birmingham will provide young professionals a clear picture of the type of place we want for our future.  Your input related to the region’s educational resources, infrastructure, quality of life, and economy is critical to the development of the Strategy.  

We hope that you will take 10 minutes to participate in this survey.

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=EMxWf3g_2bZ0_2fT6Eewpp_2baUA_3d_3d

We are currently kicking off a fundraising campaign:

• Funding uses will be:
  • To fully fund the international award-winning Ready 2 Read ($40K needed), and
  • To seed our next signature service project, currently in development
• Our goal is to raise at least $50,000

 We need our members’ help to succeed… and all of our members can participate:

• Join the fundraising or Gala committees
• Recruit sponsors
  • Their employers
  • Other community leaders
• Give personally
• Bring friends to the Masquerade Ball

 Participating in the fundraising campaign benefits our club and its members by:

• Developing fundraising skills
• Developing relationships with community leaders
• Being involved in great projects in the community
• More friends at Ball = more fun

 Contributing to the Rotaract Foundation benefits donors by:

• Providing outstanding public exposure, Gala tickets, other benefits (see sponsorship benefits)
• Supporting outstanding projects in our community (award-winning for both literacy and young leadership development)
• Providing tax deductions (Rotaract Foundation is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt org, so all donations are fully tax-deductible)
• Putting all of their dollars to work (Rotaract is an all-volunteer organization so 100% of their gift goes toward our service projects)

 The fundraising committee has four teams that our members can help with:

• Rotaract Employers- R.B. Walker
• Other Corporations- Josh Slocum
• Grant Makers- Justin Nelson
• Individuals- Niki Rogers

 The culmination will be the Masquerade Ball on March 20, 2010, an opportunity to:

• Raise funds for the Foundation
• Raise awareness for the club and its service works
• Have fun and celebrate our efforts!

 Below are the three primary documents to be used widely with our fundraising efforts.  Now that you have them, try them out on your employers and other community friends.

1. Sample cover letter
2. Foundation Executive Summary
3. Masquerade Ball sponsorship levels and benefits

The locations for the supply give away are:

• Pratt City Branch Library – 1100 Hibernian Street, Birmingham, 35214
• Wylam Library – 4300 7^th Ave, Wylam 35224
• North Birmingham Library – 2501 31^st Ave, Birmingham 35207

School supplies for this event will be limited and will be distributed until everything runs out.

“This is an opportunity to equip students with the tools they need to get a fresh start on the school year,” said Birmingham City Councilor Roderick Royal.  “Each year, this event reaches more and more students.  In 2008, we were able to provide more than 300 students with needed school supplies. This year, with the assistance of our title sponsor, the Rotaract Club of Birmingham, we look to improve on that number and ease the financial burden on parents during this tough economic period.”

This is Rotaract’s second year to serve as title sponsor of this event. “Building on our successful partnership last year, the Rotaract Club of Birmingham is honored to continue our involvement with this worthwhile program,” said V.J. Graffeo, President, Rotaract Club of Birmingham. “This title sponsorship is our way of standing by our commitment to invest in improving education in Birmingham.”

The Rotaract Club of Birmingham has already invested thousands of dollars in education. The 2008-09 school year saw the implementation of their signature service project, Ready 2 Read. This signature service project has placed a full library of books in every second grade classroom in the Birmingham City School System. In June, Rotary International (RI) recognized Ready 2 Read, as the 2009 International Winner of Outstanding Rotaract Projects.