Santa came to town early for the librarians and students at Naomi Pasemann and T.H. Johnson elementary schools.
Members of the Rotary Club of Taylor delivered more than 150 books to the two schools using a grant that provides funding for meaningful service projects.
The local chapters of Rotary International in Taylor and surrounding communities belong to District 5870, which administers funding from the District Assistance Program.
Rotary clubs contribute to an annual fund, which is then returned to District 5870 three years later to be dispersed to club-led projects.
This is the third consecutive year the Taylor club has used the DAP grant to purchase books for T.H. Johnson Elementary School – Taylor Independent School District’s lone Pre-Kindergarten through Kindergarten campus.
This year, the project focused on T.H. Johnson and first-through-fifth grad campus Naomi Pasemann.
“We were able to purchase 170 brand new books, including several new releases, between the two schools,” said Rotary Treasurer Michael Prillaman.
Prillaman reached out to both schools asking if they had a list of books the club could provide.
Julie Snyder, the librarian at Pasemann, gave him the titles of eight books, but Prillaman asked for more. Snyder consulted a wish list students use to write down books they want to read that are not on the library shelves.
“When I saw the same title written several times, that book made it to the list I gave the Rotary Club,” Snyder said.
And the club came through. Several Pasemann students got to visit the school’s library Nov. 20 to preview the books and greet the club members who provided them.
Snyder said she and her students are very thankful to the service organization.
“We’re grateful. This is a blessing,” Snyder said.
She added pupils were excited to see many of the books they wanted to read. They dived in right away to read the stories while club members listened.
Despite widespread reports about a decline in literacy, Snyder said that doesn’t hold true for Pasemann learners.
“These kids are smart, they care, they’re fun to work with and we get excited together when it comes to a brand-new book,” Snyder said.
Prillaman said providing books to school libraries is an initiative worth repeating.
“I imagine our club will look to continue it next school year. We believe this is a very meaningful project with a tremendous impact,” he said.
Rotary, today one of the planet’s largest service organizations, was formed by attorney Paul P. Harris and some Chicago associates in 1905.
