ROUNDTABLE BOOKS Reception to benefit UNESCO World Book day

Winnetka Bookshop Roundtable Books and Author ArLynn Presser are pleased to announce an upcoming reception on Saturday, April 28: FROM GUTENBERG TO ZUCKERBERG: a literacy project to benefit UNESCO'S 15TH ANNUAL World Book Day and nudge ArLynn to finish her latest book, FACE TO FACEBOOK See www.ArlynnPresser.com Rountable Books located at 572 Lincoln Avenue, Winnetka, IL 5-8 PM Appetizers generously donated by Grand Food Center Cost of admission is one or more new or gently used children's books

April 28 five to eight p.m. 572 Lincoln Avenue, Winnetka, IL For more information: http://roundtablebooks.com/about.asp

Helping others affected by Japan's earthquake and Tsunami helps our children learn empathy

By now, you've probably read about Japan's earthquake and Tsunami. here's a link to Reuters for information and updates: http://t.co/AF54dZe

If you want to help family members read about Japan's earthquake and tsunami, here's a link on Wikipedia: http://tinyurl.com/6bonbbm

If you want to help the Rotary Foundation with earthquake/tsunami relief, here's a link: http://t.co/6yzMgU2

Helping our children learn age-appropriate information by reading about earthquakes and tsunamis can help them master the fear that such disasters can cause by focusing on the science of nature. By reading to their children, parents can also monitor whether children are becoming overwhelmed or fearful with too much information.

In contrast, seeing disasters unfold repeatedly on television and the Internet can be too intense for some children, causing nightmares and other fears that may linger for months.

Having your children work with you while you help others teaches them empathy, which they need in order to grow up to understand the importance of the Four-Way Test. What can you do to help?

Winnetka Rotary fundraiser for Winnetka Library Summer Project

Winnetka-Northfield Rotary president Rich Lalley announced a community collaboration with the local library where we inspire our children to delve into summer reading while raising funds for the benefit of Reach Out and Read Illinois:

The Winnetka-Northfield Library District is pleased to work with the Rotary Club of Winnetka-Northfield this summer for the benefit of Reach Out & Read Illinois. Rotarians help by sponsoring young readers!

Reach Out & Read provides children's books to pediatricians who serve families in low income communities, to encourage parents and caregivers to read to their children and to increase literacy rates.

The children of our communities who will participate in this year's Summer Reading Program -- Be a Reading Superhero! -- and who choose to sign up for this special program will help to raise money for this worthy cause. Hundreds of children sign up for Summer Reading each year and thousands of books are read.

So, where do Rotarians, parents, and community members, come in?

Please let library director David Seleb or Youth Services know (at 847-446-7220) if you are interested in being a reading sponsor. You may choose to donate a certain amount of money for a certain number of books read by our children. For instance, .10 for the first 500 total books read. In that case, you donation would be $50.00. This would encourage our children to read more throughout the summer.

Or, you may simply donate a set amount of your choosing to the program. Either way, our children will know that they can make a difference in the lives of less fortunate children just by reading.

Our staff will produce a video with some of the participating children who will talk about their experiences with the program and their desire to help. We will show this video at a Rotary Club program in the fall and invite some of the children and their family members to attend to talk about their participation and to thank the Rotary Club members.

Please send David Seleb a message if you are interested in being a sponsor with details of how you would like to donate. If you have any questions about the program, please contact him at 847-446-7220 or at david@winnetkalibrary.org.

Thanks for being a reading superhero!

What is Reach Out and Read? Here's a quote from their organization's site

About Us

Reach Out and Read (ROR) is an evidence-based nonprofit organization that promotes early literacy and school readiness in pediatric exam rooms nationwide by giving new books to children and advice to parents about the importance of reading aloud.

ROR builds on the unique relationship between parents and medical providers to develop critical early reading skills in children, beginning at 6 months of age. The 3.9 million families served annually by ROR read together more often, and their children enter kindergarten better prepared to succeed, with larger vocabularies and stronger language skills.

Our Mission

Reach Out and Read prepares America's youngest children to succeed in school by partnering with doctors to prescribe books and encourage families to read together.

Doctors, nurse practitioners, and other medical professionals incorporate Reach Out and Read's evidence-based model into regular pediatric checkups, by advising parents about the importance of reading aloud and giving developmentally-appropriate books to children. The program begins at the 6-month checkup and continues through age 5, with a special emphasis on children growing up in low-income communities. Families served by Reach Out and Read read together more often, and their children enter kindergarten with larger vocabularies and stronger language skills, better prepared to achieve their potential.

The Reach Out and Read Model

Pediatric healthcare providers (including pediatricians, family physicians, and pediatric nurse practitioners) are trained in the three-part ROR model to promote early literacy and school readiness:

* In the exam room, doctors and nurses speak with parents about the importance of reading aloud to their young children every day, and offer age-appropriate tips and encouragement.
* The pediatric primary care provider gives every child 6 months through 5 years old a new, developmentally-appropriate children's book to take home and keep.
* In the waiting room, displays, information, and books create a literacy-rich environment. Where possible, volunteer readers entertain the children, modeling for parents the pleasures - and techniques - of reading aloud.
See http://www.reachoutandread.org/about/

I am always inspired by communities of children, families, professionals, and organizations taking small but meaningful steps to make our world a better place. In this project, individuals, families, and organizations get a lot of bang for their buck: Encouraging individual children to read during the summer, promoting volunteerism in children who can raise funds via their reading efforts, promoting literacy in at-risk families through the Reach Out and Read Program, promoting pediatrician-parent collaboration in achieving child development goals, and strengthening community relationships through volunteerism. Whether it's the actual reading by the children, sponsoring of the readers by parents and community members, or other ways to draw our community together, there is something every one of us can do. What have you done today?
Dr. Jeanne Beckman

Obama Inauguration: Oh Yes I Can

On January 20th, I joined many fellow Chicagoans who shivered in the falling snow while watching Obama's speech on the Jumbotron at the Daley Plaza in Chicago. While I could not hear the speech, I watched the closed-captioning (provided with Dragon voice recognition technology, I'm sure)and was struck with the hope that we can get our great country back on track.

Obama's speeches are full of rich vocabulary, full of vision, and full of the love of history. Without a good education, Obama would not be where he is now, guiding us back from the precipice of illiteracy, financial ruin, and overall despair.

So many times, individuals are discouraged from achieving their full potential in learning, whether due to the Pygmalion effect of low expectations for people of color or for people with disabilities. So today, I wrote a little piece to speak to the belief that any and all individuals CAN achieve their full potential.

Oh Yes I Can

Give me a lap to hear the books and I will learn
Oh yes I can!
Give me the excitement of hearing about the world through books and I will learn
Oh yes I can!
Walk me to the library and I will learn
Oh yes I can!
Give me the books to learn and I will learn
Oh yes I can!
Give me a dictionary to learn the words and I will learn
Oh yes I can!
Give me the microscopes and test tubes and computers and I will learn
Oh yes I can!
Give me the tools to learn and I will learn
Oh yes I can!
Mentor me and I will learn
Oh yes I can!
Share your excitement in learning and I will learn
Oh yes I can!
Take down the barriers to learning and I will learn
Oh yes I can!
Try to discourage me from learning, and I will tell you
OH YES, I CAN!

©Jeanne D. Beckman

Parents everywhere, please join me in taking back the education of our children. Read to them, and if you struggle to read, seek out literacy classes and computer technology at your library to read to you and your family. There is no shame in difficulties in reading unless you refuse to ask for help in learning to read. Turn off your televisions and read, read, read.

Who was it who said, those who do not know history are condemned to repeat it? Obama's speeches certainly reflect that he knows history and is using his understanding of it to bring our country back to greatness. He would not have learned history if he had not read an abundance of books on every subject he could find.

Please join me in asking yourself, "What have I done today to encourage a child to reach for knowledge, understanding, and to walk the path toward community and country contributions?"

Winnetka-Northfield Rotary wins district literacy award!

District 6440 Governor Mike Erikson announced at the Rotary District 6440 Conference that the Winnetka Northfield Rotary was one of the recipients of the District Literacy Committee's Excellence in the Promotion of Literacy Award for their numerous projects, including accessible literacy library projects which are growing beyond the local libraries toward national and international library participation. Accessible literacy projects allow all individuals, including those with disabilities, to read about their world and make it a better place.

Award-winning Literacy Projects coming soon!

The literacy committee of Rotary District 6440 just completed a video that featured some of the 2006-2007 award-winning literacy projects of the district's Rotary clubs. This video will be shown during the district's conference in Itasca, Illinois on April 25th. Check back here for a You-Tube video of these wonderful projects.

On April 26th, the 2007-2008 award winners will be announced during the awards luncheon. Check back here for a list of the winners and the great projects.

Are you going to the conference? Here's a link to the district website where you can download a registration form:
District 6440 website
Hope to see you there.
Jeanne Beckman

President Wilf Wilkinson supports literacy projects for every club

Each time Rotary President Wilf Wilkinson speaks, he mentions the importance of literacy. March is literacy month. What is your club doing to promote literacy? Here's a picture of President Wilf Wilkinson with Winnetka Rotary literacy chair Dr. Jeanne Beckman. Stay tuned for more Winnetka-Northfield literacy projects.

More projects!

Earlier, I listed the projects that the Winnetka-Northfield Rotary foundation had funded in 2007, but that is only the beginning. Here are a few others:

• Dirk Tussing spearheaded a library project in Vietnam that raised at least $21,000: http://www.clubrunner.ca/CPrg/DxProgramHome/programhome.aspx?cid=2417&pid=13503&plid=2604
• Bill Johnson is tutoring with Literacy Chicago's adult literacy program, and donated approximately $200 to purchase Autoskill reading software and books: http://literacychicago.org/adult_literacy.htm
• Mike Wurzburg tutors with students at McGaw YMCA: http://www.mcgawymca.org/
• Tony Kambich donated $200 to the library accessible literacy project.
  
• Jeanne Beckman has donated $200 plus a new scanner valued at $335 to the library accessible literacy project, has facilitated/scanned over 150 hours of volunteer scanning of books to share with accessible literacy library projects and Bookshare.org, and is mentoring a local high school student with special needs who is doing a senior project that includes learning technology to access reading and writing: http://www.newtrier.k12.il.us/services/SrProject/index.htm
  

I will add to this list as I obtain more details

Accessible LiteracyTechnology Demonstration and Winnetka-Northfield Rotary Literacy Project Update

Meet local Rotarian and author Dr. Jeanne Beckman

What: Winnetka-Northfield Rotary Literacy Volunteers Project Update, Book signing, Technology Demonstrations

When: Saturday, February 23, 2008 11-3

Where: One Northfield Plaza, Suite 300, Northfield, IL

Special for spreading the Rotarian spirit: Bring a copy of either Muhammad Yunus book (Creating a World Without Poverty or Banker to the poor: micro-lending and the battle against world poverty) and get a free digital copy for your computer to read aloud.

Find out about

• Technology that reads any book aloud (text to speech)
• Technology that types whatever you say (voice recognition or “Dragon”)
• Technology that speaks for those with delayed, difficult to understand, or absent speech
• Technology that helps you keep track of appointments, assignments, and other important information
• How to get technology to meet your individual needs
• How to share technology for literacy through local and international Rotary literacy projects
• 10% of book sales during open house will be donated to Winnetka-Northfield Literacy Project

Audience: Information for all ages

• For more information, email Dr. Beckman at techpsych@techpsychologist.com

Excerpt from Tech Psychologist’s Guide

As you read this book

As you read this book, I also ask that you consider how you might impact others’ lives if you only had the time. It is my hope that this book will help you and your family find ways to access learning so that you will have time to more fully participate in the community, both at the local and global level.

Making our world a better place

Challenging barriers is not a pleasant stroll in the park. It drains families of energy we could spend making our world a better place. When families work together, the likelihood of creating change increases significantly. When you work together with other families and find some successes in leading change, who knows how far you can go? Maybe you can create changes outside your own communities. Can you help other families find funding sources for technology? Can you share your techniques for bringing about changes with other families?

A final thought on my own attempt at ripples of change

In my book, I challenged readers to “pay it forward” by finding ways to share what they’ve learned. My own attempt to pay it forward is that I will donate a percentage of the profit from this book to the Winnetka, Illinois Rotary Club literacy project. This project loans text-to-speech software and scanners to local public libraries, so library patrons can access all of the books within their library as well as have fully accommodated access to the Internet and digital media. We intend to have this project “paid forward” to other Rotary service clubs throughout the United States and internationally. Each of those clubs will be asked to pay the project forward to three other Rotary clubs, and so on.

For information about the project
Please contact Dr. Jeanne Beckman at 847-446-1251

or email her at techpsych@techpsychologist.com

Phase 1: Text to Speech Software Delivered to Library

In December, the Winnetka, Illinois library received the first loan of Kurzweil3000 text to speech software and a scanner for library patrons to use. This delivery included:

• One network version of Kurzweil 3000 Color Professional
• Four network versions of Kurzweil 3000 Learn Stations
• A new scanner with document feeder donated to the Rotary project by Jeanne Beckman
  

Since the software is installed on the network, all library computers connected to the library network could be capable of providing accessible reading for those with vision difficulties or reading challenges. Headphones will be available for private listening to Internet or other digital text while viewing the text on the computer screen.

Volunteers from the Winnetka Rotary, as well as other organizations and individuals, are invited to learn about using this software as well as to find out about volunteer opportunities of scanning books for those who need accommodated access to the written word. Scanning is as simple as pressing a button for a copying machine! For information, you are invited to contact Jeanne Beckman at techpsych@techpsychologist.com or telephone 847-446-1251

How does illiteracy affect our communities?

Illiteracy causes more harm than merely having a reduced ability to read and write. Illiteracy causes entire families to remain isolated from the everyday fabric of their local and global communities, to remain isolated from inspiration acquired by "enough education," and to remain isolated from a means to share history beyond the reaches of their spoken word.
----Jeanne Beckman

What is your Rotary club doing to bring about a literate community?

Literacy, the Winnetka Way

Read All About It!

Literacy, the Winnetka Way

Please read about the local and international projects below and consider ways join us. Just as there are many ways to read, there are many ways to volunteer.

Contact Jeanne Beckman for more information at 847-446-1251
or email her at techpsych@techpsychologist.com

Not a Rotarian? Find out about how Rotarians around the world volunteer to make it a better place. Contact Jeanne Beckman to find out how to visit the Winnetka-Northfield Rotary or a Rotary club near your home or workplace.

December 2007

Updates

Winnetka Library project: Jeanne Beckman met with new director of Winnetka Library, David Seleb, who indicated that they are finally ready to set the club purchased accessibility software as well as the scanning hardware (donated by Beckman) in place for patrons to use in reading the Internet, books, newspapers, and other reference material within the library.

Jeanne Beckman contacted Glenview Sunrise Rotary Club, a 2007 District 6440 Literacy Award winner, in December regarding possible accessible literacy component in collaboration with their club.

Update: Jeanne Beckman met with an individual of the Glenview Sunrise Rotary Club to discuss collaboration with their current literacy projects and the ways in which accessible literacy could enhance their project.

Jeanne Beckman contacted New Trier’s Interact Club in September regarding possible volunteer participation in this project. The club sponsor indicated she would contact us when their club was ready to participate.

Update: Beckman will be meeting with the students in New Trier’s Interact Club in December to discuss participation in January of 2008

Jeanne Beckman presented our club’s accessible literacy to the Libertyville Rotary on March 19^th.

Update: The Libertyville Rotary Club has recently approved discussions regarding collaboration on accessible literacy with their current international projects. Meeting to define scope and collaboration details scheduled.

Jeanne Beckman presented our club’s accessible literacy projects to the Wilmette Harbor Rotary Club on February 21, 2007. The club has expressed interest in possible collaboration on this project.

Update: Possible collaboration still pending

November 2007

Now that we have the accessibility software and hardware for the Winnetka library project (see below), we need to schedule the presentation to the library as well as free community training sessions.

We are also ready to begin phase two: paying it forward to at least three other Rotary clubs. Here are the possible projects this committee is considering:

1. Stomp project (stompproject.org): Providing accommodated access to computers and email for those with learning disabilities who are in the military as well as for their special needs family members. Project description, collaboration with specific Rotary clubs, and proposal pending. About Stomp:STOMP is based out of Tacoma, Washington and is the only National Parent Training and Information Center for military families (both in the US as well as internationally) providing support and advice to military parents without regard of the type of medical condition their child has.
2. Microlending project whereby young teens through young adults with disabilities can borrow accessibility software and convert books for businesses and individuals for a fee. Rationale: Unemployment for those with disabilities hovers around 85%. For those who cannot read adequately, they cannot provide good parenting, cannot participate in adequate employment, and cannot participate in the political and civic processes. This project is in the development phase, but will be done both locally and internationally.
   
3. Accessibility to text in libraries in other libraries, both locally (North Chicago or Waukegan) as well as other international sites. Specific sites and respective Rotary clubs still being determined.
   

2007: Pay It Forward, the Winnetka Rotary Way!

Our Winnetka-Northfield Rotary club is implementing the pilot phase of an accessible literacy project in our own backyard, in our local library. This project lends text-to-speech software and scanners to our local public library, so library patrons can access all of the books within our library as well as have fully accommodated access to the Internet and digital media. We intend to have this project "paid forward" to at least three other Rotary service clubs throughout the United States and internationally, and will be applying for matching grants to help it grow. Already, we are funded to provide the scanning software and a club member has donated a new specialized scanner for the Winnetka library. We will be providing community training classes in using text-to-speech software for students as well as those with vision challenges.

An open house to present the software and hardware to the library as well as a fund-raising event in currently in the planning stages and hands-on volunteer sessions will be scheduled within the next few weeks.

Phase two of this project is to assist one Rotary club from a low-income community in Illinois, one from a community in another state, and one from a club outside of the U.S. Each of those clubs will be asked to pay the project forward to three other Rotary clubs, and so on. Help our club "pay it forward," to build community volunteerism, to build relationships with Rotary clubs who will "pay it forward" to make libraries accessible to those with vision and other print disabilities. There are many ways to read, and many ways to help our project grow.

2005-2006: Northwestern University Settlement Association

Our club collected and distributed over 70 new books (purchased at the Book Stall in support of a Winnetka Alliance for Early Childhood fundraiser) for the Settlement House's Head Start program.

Our club also collected, sorted, delivered, and donated 16 boxes of gently used books to the youth programs of Northwestern University Settlement House and Noble High School.

About Northwestern University Settlement Association

Since 1891 the Settlement has enabled low-income and immigrant families to reach the dream of self sufficiency. Over 9,000 neighbors benefited in one year alone through their emergency services, youth senior and community programs. There theater expanded its program, reaching over 37,000 people as audience members, artists, technicians and scholars.

District Literacy Committee website: Click here

http://www.clubrunner.ca/dprg/dxprogramhome/_programhome.aspx?did=6440&pageid=8148

Welcome to the Winnetka Rotary Literacy Projects Blog

Our new literacy committee blog will share information about our Rotary literacy projects and events associated with sharing access to the word. Please come back to find out about our past, present, and future projects.