Rotarians Dave Lindley, left, and Brenda Holly help add sponsor stickers to 1,000 books that will be given to local students.

Surrounded by stacks of books and supplied with sheets of stickers, members of the Baker City Rotary Club helped label about 1,000 books on May 9 to support the REAL program.

That acronym stands for Read Everyday And Learn, which is a project of the Baker County Community Literacy Coalition.

Rotary also donates money every year to help purchase books.

“As a club, we believe literacy is a big deal and we want to help anyway we can,” said Anthony Bailey, club president. “This is the biggest way we can impact the most kids.”

Literacy, he said, is one of Rotary’s “key areas of service.”

The club’s other community service projects include a coat drive (in collaboration with Sorbenots), ringing bells for The Salvation Army every December, scholarships, volunteering at the 1A basketball tournaments and organizing the community Easter egg hunt.

To support these projects, the Rotary Club sells buffalo burgers during Miners Jubilee every year in Geiser-Pollman Park, and on holidays they place American flags, sponsored by local businesses, around Baker City.

“We especially feel pride on patriotic holidays such as Independence Day, Veterans Day and Memorial Day because without our service men and women we wouldn’t have the rights we have today, and many have made the ultimate sacrifice for those rights,” Bailey said.

The Rotary Club meets at noon on Mondays in the banquet room at the Baker Tower. Potential members are welcome.

“People are welcome to come check it out,” Bailey said.

Volunteer readers

Rotary members also volunteer with REAL as readers in the schools, although that hasn’t been possible for the past two years due to the pandemic.

This opportunity is returning for the 2022-2023 school year, said Jessica Dougherty, coordinator for the BCCLC.

The literacy program serves children in nine schools — prior to the pandemic, an average of 35 adults read with more than 100 children each week to help them improve reading skills.

Volunteer readers dedicate 30 to 60 minutes, once per week, at a local public school — either in small groups or one-on-one.

Anyone interested in volunteering as a reader can contact Dougherty by email at momreading4fun@gmail.com or by calling 808-640-5900.

Book giveaways

In addition to reading with children, the REAL program distributes about 3,000 free books to students every school year.

Schools and programs that receive books are: Baker Early Learning Center, Brooklyn Primary, South Baker Intermediate, Haines Elementary, Keating Elementary, the special education program, Burnt River School, Pine Eagle School, Headstart, YMCA preschool and day care, Building Healthy Families and Baker Relief Nursery.

In addition, Dougherty hands out books during two special drive-thru family nights at BELC.

Support

The BCCLC is a nonprofit organization established in 2002 to promote literacy in Baker County.

It is supported by private foundations, businesses, service clubs, private donors and grants.

Monetary donations can be mailed to the Literacy Program, c/o Baker County Library, 2400 Resort St., Baker City, OR 97814.