• Rotary Year: 2020-2021
  • Application Date: 7/31/2020
  • Club Name (Primary): Northern Shenandoah Valley
  • Club Name 2: Front Royal
  • Club Name 3: Warren County
  • Other Club:The primary club is the Rotary Club of the Northern Shenandoah Valley but it is not an option in drop down so I put Warren twice.
  • Project Name: HALO Read--Helping All Little Ones Read
  • Project Total Cost: $18,000.00
  • Grant Amount Requested: $9,000.00
  • Describe the Project, its location and its objectives: The program is a creative pilot program partnership between Rotary, the Dolly Parton Imagination Library (DPIL), The Warren Coalition and WHAT MATTERS (please see the letter of support for further details about the partnership). It’s our overall goal to provide books to all the children from birth up to their 6th birthday in Warren County so they can develop a life-long love for reading. With District 7570’s help, we can launch the program through this grant by having enough to fully fund the first 100 children for the 5 year program ($18,000), which is necessary to launch the program successfully. The Coalition will fully coordinate the HALO Read program, provide volunteers to implement all areas of administration of the program as well as the DPIL logistics. They and the HALO Read Committee will enjoy a partnership with the three Rotary clubs who will fundraise and provide added connections/support (as they are able) for local families participating in the DPIL program. WHAT MATTERS will work with the Coalition and Rotary to deliver, report about and oversee the funds that will be shared overseas to benefit the children of the Maisha Home and the Front Royal Light Up Academy (President Beth, through WHAT MATTERS will coordinate the international component due to her connections in Uganda, but the Coalition will maintain full financial control and oversight).

    Our objective is to create a sustainable and duplicatable program that can impact Warren County and communities all over the US with an added impact to aid children in need of literacy support across the world. It is our hope that other Rotary clubs will choose to embrace HALO Read and bring the DPIL program to their communities when they choose to combine the DPIL program with a partnership with other global literacy programs (with the .90 c component funding other worthy literacy causes as we are contributing to literacy efforts in the Kampala, Uganda area)--please see supporting documentation and letters of support that outline our proposed partnership. A MOU with Kampala area organizations is not needed as all work will be led by President Beth Waller and WHAT MATTERS (though a letter of support is included in this application).

    PLEASE SEE THE SUPPORTING DOCUMENTATION WITH A BULLETED LIST OF OPPORTUNITIES CREATED BY THIS GRANT
  • Expected Start Date: 10/31/2020
  • Expected End Date: 4/29/2021
  • Expected Number of Beneficiaries: 250
  • Describe how the project will benefit the community and/or improve the lives of the less fortunate: The number of people impacted is hard to predict as the ripple effect from HALO Read will be phenomenal...the number input reflects the 100 infants in Warren (not including their family) and the 150 constant children at the Front Royal Light Up Academy and Maisha Home (not including the community members and other children who come and go so frequently). All children and families around the world have been impacted by the COVID crisis and are in need of additional support to thrive. This grant will enable a program to launch that will impact the lives of children locally by providing their families with an incentive to read with them, starting at birth. Special efforts will be made to reach the most vulnerable to educate them about and encourage them to sign up for the 5 year program, which is guaranteed to help children become more ready for Kindergarten. The connection young families will have with Rotary will also enhance the lives of families locally and overseas. Abroad, the $5,400 collected (of the $18k total) for the 5 year period through the grant will fund reading supplies--books, posters, reading instruction materials--send suitcases of used books to Uganda when Rotarian travelers fly to Kampala. The children in Uganda are among the most vulnerable in the world and are hungry for opportunities to read, thrive and be embraced by caring volunteer adults who will help bridge our community with theirs.

    Please see documents that support and photos of the Front Royal Light up Academy and Maisha Mobile Libarary at https://drive.google.com/file/d/176NioWHgd2EVpRYwPBp-HowbRNwOXMk_/view?usp=sharing
  • Expected Total Project Volunteer Hours: 100
  • Describe the Rotarian hands-on activities in the project (i.e. non-financial participation): One of the fantastic benefits to this project is that the amount of hours spent by clubs can be minimal or elaborate, depending on each member’s passion for the initiative. Much can be done online my members individually, clubs as a whole and clubs in tandem. If clubs are busy with other initiatives, most of the work can be completed by the HALO Read committee. Hours can be spent reading online, in schools, promoting the program and coordinating/hosting the launch event on October 31, 2020, partnering with Interact, Rotaract clubs to read to children, etc. Rotarians can visit Uganda if they choose and deliver reading supplies. NO funds will be spent on travel or expenses of Rotarians in volunteering their time, money only will be sent to Dolly Parton Imagination Library and reimbursed with receipts to prove the literacy expenses incurred in Uganda.
  • Describe the publicity plan to inform the general public that this is a Rotary sponsored project: This project enables extensive use of creative collaboration both among clubs and between clubs and the community, both virtual and in person, with a local and global reach. Promotion of the program can be successfully implemented online during the COVID crisis through virtual reading activities (for example, clubs can start a tradition to read a book from the DPIL online each month since there are so many from past years available in addition to the current edition). When safe, members can make visits to read at preschools, elementary schools, churches, youth groups (like Boy and Girl Scouts) to forge thriving relationships with those supporting youth and raising awareness about Rotary opportunities in the process. President Beth also plans to develop and host a Friendship Exchange to allow local Rotarians to see and share about the impact of HALO Read abroad (she already has a partner club lined up and willing to participate, the Rotary Club of Kampala, Uganda). Opportunities are literally limitless for “sweat equity” in this pilot program and using it to increase membership (due to the extra exposure the program will have in non-typical Rotary environments) and enhancing demographics (exposing Rotary to young families/teachers and inspiring them to join and the children to join Earlyact).

    The launch event on 10/31/2020 at Halloween--”A HALO Read Halloween” on Main Street in Front Royal will also provide volunteer opportunities and exposure.
  • Cooperating Organizations – Please list each cooperating organization, if any: 
    Press releases will be sent to local media, national media, to Rotary International, to Rotary Magazine and The Informer. Social media marketing (utilizing the catchy HALO/Rotary reading angel theme) will also be prevalent in addition to marketing to the local health system practitioners, preschools, daycares, organizations that reach vulnerable children, private schools and the Warren County Public Schools system to spread the word about the program. A video and article will be featured online and in the email blast (that reaches 6,000) in the community through the Royal Examiner (Warren County’s number one news source with a 100,000 reach per month). PR opportunities embraced by each club and our partner organizations make the program positioned for a HUGE SPASH in all media outlets (local and global), especially since it’s a pilot program that is being created to be easily duplicated, and especially due to the newsworthiness of a community partnership with a school named after them in a non-powered village in Africa.

    WHAT MATTERS (Beth Waller, Pres. RCNSV) will also sponsor a booth at the next international convention to highlight Rotarian partner projects including HALO Read.

    Once the program is funded and running with success, President Beth will contact Dolly Parton through her already established direct connection with the DPIL executive director for unparalleled exposure of Rotary District 7570’s support of “opening opportunities” starting at birth as a leader in this new initiative.
  • Letter(s) of Participation: 4_Email_of_support_from_Executive_Director_of_DPIL_North_America.docx, 3_Letter_Support_Light_up_Life.pdf, 2_Letter_Support_Warren_Coalition_and_WHAT_MATTERS.pdf
  • Project Expenditure Budget – list detail uses of funds for the project, or use the Budget Upload.Total expenses to fund the entire program for 100 children (once they are funded, the program lasts 5 years) with a .90 international outreach addition ($3.00* per book per kid per month x 12 x 100 x 5 years)=$18,000

    2.10 per book per month per child prepaid to DPIL= $25.20 per kid per year x 100 children x 5 years=$12,600

    *.90x100= per month x12=per year x 5 years=$1080 ($5,400 total to Ugandan literacy efforts as described in grant proposal-funds will be spent by grant deadline but the benefits of such expenditures will be highlighted for 5 years to bridge the two communities together under the one program--the Halo Read Steering Committee is happy to comply with any budgetary requirements the District Grants Committee deems necessary to best meet guidelines).

    That makes total HaloRead program cost per child per month $3.00 (including the .90 international outreach)
  • Project Funding Budget – list detail sources of funds for the project, or use the Budget Upload: Club Support:
    3,000 RCNSV
    3,000 RCWC
    3,000 RCFR

    District Support:
    $9,000 matched grant

    NO funds will be spent on travel or expenses of Rotarians in volunteering their time, money only will be sent to Dolly Parton Imagination Library ($12,600 to fund 100 kids) and the $5,400 will be used to purchase literacy supplies and receipts will be shown to account for the dollar for dollar literacy expenses for Uganda. All administrative expenses, advertising, etc will be funded by the Warren Coalition and WHAT MATTERS.

    Clubs will host fundraisers, gain pledges and partner with partner agencies to raise the $9,000 matching portion of grant. Significant sources of the 9k are already pledged in anticipation of the grant.

    The Halo Read Steering Committee is happy to comply with any budgetary requirements the District Grants Committee deems necessary to best meet guidelines).
  • Budget Upload: budget_haloreadgrant.xls
  • Primary Contact Name: Beth Medved Waller
  • Primary Contact Rotary Position: President,. Rotary Club of the Northern Shenandoah Valley
  • Primary Contact Email: beth@whatmattersw2.com
  • Primary Contact Phone: 5406716145
  • Financial Contact Name: Christa Shifflett, Warren Coalition Executive Director
  • Financial Contact Rotary Position: Co-Chair HALO Read Project Steering Committee
  • Financial Contact Address: 
    PO Box 2058
    Front Royal, VA 22630
    United States View on Map
  • Financial Contact Email: Christa@warrencoalition.org
  • Financial Contact Phone: 5405398248
  • Project Authorization Form: Club_authorizationHALOREAD.docx.pdf
  • Supporting Uploads: Unique_Opportunities_through_HALO_Read_.pdf, 1_HaloRead_WC_DPIL_Global_Outreach_Program_Proposal_for_Rotary_Grant_Outline.pdf, 7_DPIL_MOA_2020.docx, 6_Rotary_is_Partner_with_Dolly_Parton_s_Imagination_Library.pdf, 5_How_It_Works_2_1_.pdf, 8_Copy_of_Uganda_NGO_permit.pdf