UW-Whitewater/Community Optimist Club

On Wednesday, October 18, the UW-Whitewater/Community Optimist Club heard from our guest speaker Larry Kachel regarding the “Whitewater Leads” program. Larry discussed the Dolly Parton Imagination Library. The goal of the organization is to help children around the nation receive books in the mail and help to improve children’s learning and reading skills.

The Dolly Parton Imagination Library gives out 1.2 billion books per month, and works with about 16,000 communities. The program begins as soon as a child is born, and goes until their 5^th birthday. During these years, each child who is enrolled in the program gets their own book in the mail every month. The books that are sent to the children are free, as this organization runs on donations and funds that are provided by the Dolly Parton Imagination Library. Whitewater Leads’ goal is to get about $25 per year, per child (through donations from various organizations). Whitewater Leads has already seen just how great this program is by looking at students test results and seeing how children have been placed in reading levels.

The goal for Whitewater is to greatly increase literacy and get everyone reading books, and the organization hopes that there will be a great improvement in this in about two years of running this book service. To learn more or to donate, check out their website at Whitewater-leads.org.

October 4. 2017, Optimist Club Meeting, Guest Speaker: Erica Schepp

Erica Schepp, Director of UW-Whitewater Children’s Center, was the guest speaker for our Club meeting on Wednesday, October 4.  Erica explained that the center is the only childcare provider in Whitewater accredited by the National Association for the Education of Young Children.  The center serves children of faculty, staff, students, and community members.  She discussed a new program on campus where students can earn 1-3 college credits by working with children at the center, based upon the hours worked per week.  Erica and her staff are planning to improve the center’s “Sensory Room,” which provides a safe and therapeutic place for the children to learn calming skills. Some of the proceeds from the 2018 Trivia Night will be used to update the room with swings that hang from the ceiling as individual pods for children needing a quiet space to relax, and installing both a light lab and a large magnetic wall with ramps and pathways, to help improve a variety of motor skills.  This is your proceeds at work!