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At our August 16 luncheon meeting Dr. Jennifer Goff, executive director of REACH Inc., provided sobering statistics on illiteracy, the lasting impact of people not being able to read and the work her organization is doing to help children develop a love of reading. She reported that illiterate people live in poverty, struggle with substance abuse and addiction, have trouble gaining employment, turn to crime to make money, makeup 60 percent of incarcerated adults, and can't help their children break the cycle of illiteracy and poverty. Dr. Goff gave 2020 statistics that show in our region, Norfolk and Portsmouth have the highest rates of children living in poverty -- one of the factors leading to illiteracy. In Norfolk, only 54% of public school students pass their third-grade Standards of Learning exams. And, 18 percent of the city's public high school students do not graduate on time. Of juveniles involved in the justice system across the country, 85 percent of them are illiterate.
"By the time they start school, children who come from low-income situations, have a 30 million word gap compared to their more affluent peers," Dr. Goff said. The gap is caused in part by children not being read to, not having regular conversations with adults, and not having books in their homes. She pointed out the neighborhood near Scope has one of the country's highest poverty rates and that many children living there have no books in their homes.
REACH, which stands for Reading Enriches All Children, is a nonprofit headquartered in Norfolk. It strives to help children become proficient readers so they read at least on grade level by grade 3. That milestone is an indicator of their future success in school and life. REACH combats illiteracy through its Big Free Bookstore in Military Circle Mall, which gives children new books to take home. It also hosts free book fairs in schools and at various organizations and sponsors read-aloud programs at the bookstore and in area homeless shelters. Dr. Goff asked for the club's guidance in helping REACH solve a dilemma. Its 10,500-square-foot warehouse, office, and free bookstore are in Military Circle Mall, which is slated for demolition. The date to vacate the mall is looming, and REACH needs a new home before the end of this year. If you have ideas on where REACH can store books, have an office and locate its free bookstore, please call Dr. Goff at 757-627-4722 or email her at reach@reachreads.org. The Meeting - Michael Desplaines introduced his guest, Jo Ann Short, the new head of The Planning Council. She is a former Rotarian and a potential club member.
- Members were encouraged to sign up for the social at Linwood and Frances Beckner's home on August 23 and our community service project on August 25. We will help organize the Virginia Stage Company's prop department on that date.
- Laura Beth Dehority gave happy bucks to charity for the psychologist from Ukraine she is hosting for the Norfolk Sister City Association. She said her visitor cried when she saw sunflowers growing at Norfolk Botanical Garden since the flowers symbolize her country and its resilience.
- Tom Koller gave happy bucks to charity in honor of his sister-in-law Laurie being the club president and for his daughter's good report after her cancer treatment.
- Laura Beth encouraged Rotarians to sign up to volunteer at Growlfest on September 10 -- particularly the second shift of pumping beer. Growlfest at the Virginia Zoo is one of the club's major fundraisers.
- Since it was the day to vote on our club's permanent venue, three speakers advocated for the locations being considered. Mark Shaw spoke about the Norfolk Yacht & Country Club, Lois Kercher talked about the advantages of returning to Scope, and Chris Bugg highlighted The Harbor Club's amenities. Ballots were then handed out to those attending.
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