The Rotary Club of Indio, working with Desert Sands Unified School District, spent the pandemic year providing books to children. Funded by Indio Rotary, four DUSD elementary schools ordered books based on a particular subject or program. Dr. Reynaldo Carreon Academy selected books to be chosen by those students who won monthly “FIRE” award. Amelia Earhart Elementary School selected books for the school library focused on diversity. Lyndon B. Johnson Elementary school supplied their playground respite area near their garden with books for students to both read and keep. Carrillo Ranch Elementary School used the funds as seed money to purchase a book for every student returning to campus this spring.

In all, over 1000 books were purchased and shared with children this spring. Indio Rotary would like to thank the four teachers, Kari Sutherland at Carreon, Jacy Alexander at Earhart, Diane Burke at Johnson, and Kerry Kemp at Carrillo Ranch for their extra work in making our project successful. Credit also goes to Indio Rotary’s project leaders Jennifer Schultz and Sue Steding and to all the Rotarians who helped with the distribution of the books.

The Rotary Club of Indio, in a separate project, distributed Webster’s Dictionaries to seven Indio elementary schools this year. Each third grader now owns his or her own dictionary.