DOVER — Seacoast Endowment for Education in Dover (SEED), a nonprofit organization dedicated to lifting academic excellence in Dover schools, accepted a $4,159 donation from The Rotary Club of Dover to help fund two literacy grants in Dover public schools.

According to Rotary Club of Dover President Jim Munro, literacy is one of the club’s main areas of focus. “We are pleased to provide SEED funding for these targeted reading initiatives and applaud their efforts to support teachers and promote educational excellence for Dover students.”

The first literacy grant, awarded to Dover High School Language Arts Teacher Leslie Hocking, will be used to underwrite her Reading for Fun proposal valued at $2,500. A longitudinal study spearheaded by Dr. Mariah Evans of the University of Nevada, Reno, found the greater the number of books in a household, the greater the positive impact on the child.

The funding will provide every freshman at Dover High a book of their choice, free of charge as part of their high school orientation. In conjunction with a $5,000 sponsorship from Barnes and Nobles, the students will have a variety of current, high-interest books to select. “This grant reaches students in a way that no classroom does, filling an important gap in their education,” said Hocking.

The second grant award was bestowed to Kelly Cote to purchase literacy supplies and tools for the entire Woodman Park School first grade, which consists of approximately 120 students. The two-part grant will allow for Take Home Reading Bags—backpacks filled with reading level books for first grade students to transport to and from home—and provide socially distanced classroom tools such as individual seat pockets to keep student materials organized and easily accessible during learning times; clipboards for use during outside learning time; and classroom stools for flexible seating options.

In a 2019 article published in ScienceDirect, a study found that immersing children in book-orientated environments benefits their later educational achievement, attainment, and occupational standing. “Many of our students come from families of low economic status that may not have access to quality books appropriate for their reading skills,” said Cote “The Take Home Reading Bags provide students with access to quality books so they can read daily at home.”

To learn more about SEED and its mission to create a legacy for educational excellence in Dover public schools, visit doverseed.org.

The Rotary Club of Dover had the opportunity this week to partner with the Woodman Museum and offer an Open House to share with the community how the club has been a big part of the Dover community for the past 97 years. We were able to gather with friends for an evening of friendship & fellowship and recognized dedicated citizens and organizations for efforts that have done and will continue to do for others in need of assistance.

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The Rotary Club of Dover NH, President Elect, Jim Munro presented Paul Harris Fellow Awards to our fellow Rotarians, Doug Locy, Kathy Fink, Frank Biehl, Ram Ramdev, Gregg Dowty, Naila Aslam, Ed Hokinski, Megan Keil, Doug Glennon, and Ken McCann. He also presented a Paul Harris Fellow +1 award to Donna Rinaldi and Malcolm McNeill, and a Paul Harris +6 award to Dick Clark.

Our club thanks all of you for your generosity and commitment to the ideals of Rotary.

Look what we have started!

The Rotary Club of Dover’s Victory Community Garden at Garrison Hill Park and Tower is growing. With the help of our club and others in the community, we have planted berms and squash to grow to help support those with food needs in our community.

Join the Rotary Club of Dover NH, Community Action Partnership of Strafford County and Gather to keep local food pantries stocked by dropping off non-perishable food items.

This food drive will take place from 9:00am-12:00pm on May 1st in the parking lot of Tucker's located at 238 Indian Brook Drive in Dover.

Help us help those those in need!