Kiwanis Club of Charlevoix champions literacy: From book vending machines to Rayder Readers

CHARLEVOIX — We were coming out of the pandemic and our Kiwanis Club of Charlevoix decided we needed to lead others in this opportunistic time.

Kiwanis member Rita Moore stepped forward as she saw the opportunity to help connect kids with reading and also promote their social skills. She suggested a book vending machine, which has now become quite popular throughout Michigan. Little did any of us know what a great opportunity this would become and how much of a positive impact it would make.

Subscribe: Check out our offers and read the local news that matters to you

The purchase of the Book Vending Machine surpassed our expectations. We took a risk, paid for the machine, the books, the coins used to purchase books, wrote numerous grants and then held our breath.

Voila! Not only is this machine serving its purpose of increasing literacy, but it has also improved the school atmosphere. The students’ small acts of kindness were followed by receiving a golden coin which in turn helped them to purchase a book. Summer school teacher and staff reading specialist Dawn Hovie remarked on its success and now utilizes it with her summer school students. Positive results brought in more grants and funding sources for this unique concept.

Today, Kiwanis member Rita Moore who selected this project for our club is pleased with its success. Our club decided to expand on this and now has instituted another program that Kiwanis oversees; “Rayder Readers.” This idea came out of one of our Meet and Greet meetings for potential members interested in joining the Charlevoix Kiwanis Club. Annette Bowman, special education teacher, commented on the need for her students to be able to read and interact with others beyond just their classmates. After the school went to online learning due to COVID it was noticeable how many students' reading and verbal skills had declined.

Annette asked our club for help, and we answered by starting a program involving not only club members but National Honor Society students. This program that we titled Rayder Readers meets twice weekly with students that could use a little extra help. Students are matched with different “Readers," so they are gaining different perspectives on life and reading styles. Ms. Bowman has already reported its success through the students’ interest in reading, their language skills and testing. I asked students how they felt about Rayder Readers and here are some of their replies:

“I like that we have different reading buddies, so I meet new people.” “I like reading with my friends.” “It’s fun.” “I have a have a chance to relax and read with friends who are on the same reading level so I feel comfortable reading in front of others,” and from a Kiwanis member participating, “It brings me joy to spend time with children and knowing that I am making a difference in their lives.”

Following the success of these two Kiwanis Club sponsored programs the club refers to all programs helping students with literacy as part of the newly formed Kiwanis Literacy Committee. Moore stepped up to chair this newly formed group. It also includes school staff, club members and interested individuals from the community.

In the very near future, we have another project in the works that also involves literacy. Information on this literacy project is forthcoming. Look for an article in the near future about this heartwarming and collaborative project.

Kiwanis is an International Club whose focus is on children. Currently we have 51 members who actively participate in whatever means they are able to do so. The camaraderie is awesome, and we make certain that we enjoy what we do; after all we are kids at heart, too.

This article originally appeared on The Petoskey News-Review: Kiwanis Club of Charlevoix champions literacy: From book vending machines to Rayder Readers