Ames Morning Rotary at Edwards School
by Jane Acker

Ames Morning Rotarians have volunteered in kindergarten, 1st, 2nd, and 3rd grade classrooms at Edwards elementary school for the past two school years, and the time has come to sign up for this great literacy-building undertaking for the 2009-10 school year. Rotary volunteers work in the same classroom each visit, for approximately 30-40 minutes each time, and each volunteer can choose to participate on a weekly or bi-weekly basis. They wear Rotary ID badges each time they visit the school.

Volunteers perform activities designated by the classroom teacher, primarily working with individual students or small groups. Additionally, other volunteers may assist with special activities, such as clean-up days or field trips. The volunteer role is not only helpful to classroom teachers and individual students, but is tremendous fun!

Our club has two principle goals for this activity:

• Providing support for classroom teachers in helping each child learn to the best of his or her ability
• Providing Rotarians with a meaningful volunteer opportunity which increases collegiality among members, enhances identification with the goals of Rotary, particularly those concerning early childhood literacy and education, and fosters ownership in Ames schools

All volunteers must complete a background check before they may begin at Edwards. Once the check has been cleared, an orientation to Edwards will be provided and a schedule determined. If you’re interested in learning more, or in signing up, please contact Jane Acker for more information.

Article Updated: August 28, 2009