We are pleased to report that the Family Day Rotary Free Soup and Free Reading Program activities were a success! There were 15 soup donors serving various delicious soups and an estimated 300+ bowls of soup were served. There was also a good turn out for our first Free Reading Program community event. Over 60 children visited the play area featuring mats, climbing cushions, jack back chairs, toys, and a coloring table for small children - all thanks to The Hubb. Most of the children were young; 1 years, toddlers, JK and SK, up to grade 4. For more pictures of the Family Day Free Soup and Free Reading Program, click HERE.
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Many parents who accompanied their children expressed relief, surprise and/or gratitude that there was a place for their young children to play during the Family Day event. Several commented how challenging this winter has been because they were often housebound due to bad weather. Many young parents enjoyed socializing with each other while their young children happily played together.
Thanks to The ROC youth centre for connecting us to youth volunteers, Maddy Piper and Mercedes Crowe, who were 'ROCstars" from 8 am to 2:30 pm. Thanks to their technical know how, they helped a dozen children to visitthe Free Reading Program at the computer table. We hope that Wellington Rotary Club members will continue to involve more youth in all our future events. It is a practical and meaningful way to build more relationships between local youth and Rotary.
We also gave away approx 52 books to children - thanks to the donation from County Kids Read! Children and parents were surprised and delighted to receive a free book. It provided us a perfect opportunity to promote the Free Reading Program website for children aged 4 - 12.
This was a great community event that helped to promote reading in a fun, educational and social way. We also printed extra book marks promoting the Free Reading Program. These will be distributed throughout the County in the next few weeks.