A $3,000 grant from the Rotary Club of New Castle and Rotary District 7280, is being given to the New Castle Public Library in support of their New Castle READS project that will support early literacy by providing reading materials to children in kindergarten through second grade at the Harry W. Lockley Early Learning Center (“Lockley” Elementary School) in New Castle. The goal of the project is to promote literacy and the importance of it to students and their guardians alike.

The New Castle READS program is modeled after the New Castle Public Library’s 2023 Wilmington READS program. The goal is to spark the students’ interest in reading in their communities through active programming and literacy.

For this project, the Rotary Club will provide books for each student to keep. The grant funds grade-specific school assemblies on May 8, 2024 where storyteller Tim Hartman will hold interactive storytelling performances. Rotarians and teachers will help the students select their books following the assemblies

Rotary Club members met at the Library on Monday to put labels in approximately 1,600 books that will be donated to students following the assemblies. Books were purchased through the grant and donated by Lifelong Learning Choices. 

For more information about the New Castle Rotary Club, please go to https://www.newcastlerotary89.org/.