Philadelphia Dictionary Project
More Than Just Books!
An old saying is that in life when you give something, you always get much more in return. That was really the case with the 1600 thesauruses, dictionaries and atlases given out by Philadelphia Rotarians at four different Philadelphia schools during the first two weeks of December (2007).
Congratulations to Philadelphia Rotary president Lou Mosca, past presidents Frank Hollick and Joan Batory, Jacopo Carmassi (Rotaract), Kevin Dill, Scott Donohue, John Forer, Steve Grandizio, Kristina Harshany, Nancy Magagna, Shelly Prussian, Bob Reinecke, Jennifer Shields (Rotaract), Scott Simon (proposed member), Otto Wollin and Joe Batory for “giving a bit of self” and taking some time to go to at least one and in many cases more than one of the school sites to “touch lives.”
All of the school visitations were very different…but each reflected gratitude appreciation from students and staff.
Of special note, the book distribution ceremony (international atlases) at the Key School in South Philadelphia was very moving. Many of the students are children of immigrants to the USA…so different students took turns speaking to the visiting Philadelphia Rotarians in their native languages--- Vietnamese, Cambodian, Chinese, Laotian, Egyptian, Puerto Rican, Albanian, and Arabic. Then all the children sang a meaningful song about accepting differences among people from various cultures and countries. It was very beautiful and very much in line with Rotary ideals.
At the Richmond School in the Port Richmond section of Philadelphian, the visiting Rotary delegation was impressed with the order and politeness and warmth of the students. These pupils couldn’t wait to open their international atlases.
At the Sheridan School, the occasion was also especially memorable because of a delightful continental breakfast complete with Spanish coffee and a spirited Christmas vocal presentation of Feliz Navidad by the children. Student speakers made this visit very personal with touching presentations. Thesauruses and dictionaries were given to hundreds of children.
The last visit by Philadelphia Rotarians was to the Waring School near center city where the students in grades 3-8 had already received their thesauruses and so the visiting delegation got to see the donated books being used in class.
All of this has been about more than the gift of books. It was much more of an expression of belief and hope by adult Rotarians to city children at four different schools. And these young people definitely recognized and acknowledged the caring…it was written all over their smiling faces and it beamed out from their hearts.
To Nigeria with Love
An outreach project from Philadelphia Rotarians to Nigeria was accomplished in record time thanks to the generosity of members of the Rotary Club of Philadelphia. Early in October, the Philadelphia club had heard about the love of soccer in a small school in Nigeria and the desperate need for sports equipment among the young people there.
The Rotary Club of Philadelphia responded swiftly…no committees or studies, just some quick action from their hearts. Within two weeks the club had acquired 15 donated soccer balls and purchased 15 yellow soccer shirts emblazoned with Rotary Club of Philadelphia. A host of Philadelphia Rotarians chipped in $10 bills to pay for the soccer shirts and the mailing which also included a camera and an air pump.
And so, after learning about this far away need only three weeks earlier, a shipment of soccer equipment was shipped by the Philadelphia Rotary to Father Charles Bassey and the church leaders at St. Joseph’s Catholic Church in Anua-Uyo (Nigeria) on October 30. It then took another month but finally Fed Ex confirmed that the delivery had been made.
Certainly, there are larger projects that the Rotary Club of Philadelphia is pursuing this year. But this one feels especially good…an almost instant response to touch a few lives in Nigeria. Rotary spirit at its best!!!
Robert Snow, Webmaster --- Report any problems or broken links to: bobsnow@mac.com
