(Estherville)– The Northwest Iowa Retired Senior Volunteer Program, or RSVP, recognized Make A Difference Day, observed this year on October 22nd, by promoting reading among students in Kindergarten through 4th grades in two northwest Iowa counties. RSVP Director Dawn Bernhard says 1,125 students received books that day…
“Thankfully we had some grant funds and for our Make A Difference Day our volunteers went into all of the elementary schools in Palo Alto and Emmet county and gave every student a brand new book to take home. It’s their’s to start their own personal library. RSVP volunteers are very supportive of literacy programs in the schools and we do what we can to encourage the love of reading and to encourage literacy so it was a perfect way to go in and share on Make A Difference Day with all of the students in those communities.”
Bernhard says they have similar programs put on twice a year in Clay and Dickinson counties…
“We have private funders and donors that help us have enough budget to purchase the books, so there in Dickinson county all of the 1st grade students in the county get two free books each academic year: one is distributed in December and one again in May before summer break. So we started in Clay county and have a large base there. But Dickinson county is expanding their program. DeNeitt VanDenBroeke is the coordinator for RSVP in Dickinson county. Her office is on the Spirit Lake campus of Iowa Lakes Community College and she is always looking for support to help purchase the books that go into the schools for the literacy programs.”
RSVP operates other literacy programs in the area as well, including the Pen Pals, Reading Buddies and Art Buddies. Some RSVP volunteers tutor and mentor individual students as well.
More information on the RSVP program in Dickinson county is available by contacting DeNeitt VanDenBroeke at 712-336-6577.
