The Rotary Club of Peabody received a District Grant from D7930 and partnered with Peabody Club funds and a Peabody Education Foundation grant to create a project called My First Book Club. The goal of the program was to provide every student in Grades K-2 with a book that they could own.Club members believe that reading is a basic building block essential to learning and understanding, and the earlier we engage children in the process, the more well-rounded their overall educational experience will be. Upon acceptance and approval of the grant funding, the Rotary Club of Peabody, met and partnered with the Peabody Public Schools through Superintendent Dr. Josh Vadala to launch the program. The 6 elementary schools in the Peabody Public school district were polled to select the appropriate Dr. Seuss book for each classroom.
The Peabody Rotary Club service aspect of the project included procuring the books and placing an appropriate label in each book to proudly display Rotary sponsorship and to provide the opportunity for the book to be signed by every recipient child. Rotarians sorted the books by school and by grade and packaged them for distribution. The Peabody Public Schools distributed the books and the individual teachers in each classroom ensured that each child signed the book they received. Rotarians then led classroom readings of the book for each grade. Over 1,500 books were distributed to students.