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Shirley-Pat Selfie

Shirley-Pat’s Rotary Story

NEPETS 2018 Update#3:

Shirley-Pat & Friend So honoured and humbled by this opportunity to share My Rotary Story and the Write to Read Project. The NEPETS family did it again – not only did the incoming President-Elect class of 2018-2019 again give me money from their own pockets BUT the 2017-2018 District Governors represented will also be making donations! The approximate $2500 gift from these amazing Rotary Leaders plus the DGs donations will be leveraged into the W2R-BC’s first Rotary Foundation GLOBAL GRANT!! Hopefully the first of many ?This will enable us to build the first community designed culturally responsive community gathering space to build literacy equity WITH Xeni Gwet’in.

My heart is full – Sechanalyagh

New W2R video for TV broadcast produced

Toosey 5The Write to Read Project has been largely a secret until recently, but it may soon be time to spread the word. A 60-second PSA (click here) for TV has been produced and will soon be distributed to BC television stations. The message is simple. Our project is an aboriginal literacy initiative that seeks to assist remote communities gain access to reading. To get involved, simply call your local Rotary club. W2R is looking for books, computers, donations and volunteers.

The main expense of the project is transportation. Britco Structures has kindly donated 10 modular buildings, but shipping them to remote reserves is not always easy or inexpensive. While BC Ferries has assisted by waiving fees, sometimes its necessary to rent barges and trucks. Donations to offset costs are welcome, and Government House can issue a tax receipt for larger gifts.

Viewers are encouraged to forward the link to the PSA to friends and colleagues. It only takes a minute, and the 60 seconds it takes to watch the video may be the best expenditure of time any of us can make in our day. Spread the word!

TELUS TO EXPLORE CONNECTIVITY FOR W2R COMMUNITIES

As a result of great work by our W2R team member Christoph Neufeld of Britco Structures, TELUS is now working with W2R to study the viability of connectivity for our First Nations communities.

This can mean that W2R libraries are becoming truly the hub and gathering place envisioned in earlier planning. Our implementation team is now working hard to set up our newest library, NOOAITCH. We are calling this library W2R Version 3.1 because NOOAITCH will become our template for future libraries. Each will contain a computer lab, a tablet lab, video conferencing, and a fully stocked aboriginal library along with other books. The modular building that Britco has supplied to the Canada Winter Games will be the structure will use for our Version 3.1. TELUS is studying the viability of connectivity for the community that could enable video conferencing capabilities and allow NOOAITCH to be the prototype for future libraries..<

Sue Sterling and Andrea Inwards from the Merritt Sunrise Club are the spark plugs for this project and have already secured funding from both the Merritt Clubs (Sunrise and Noon club) to purchase aboriginal books plus the furniture to go into the building. Our implementation team of Christoph Neufeld, Brian Van Sickle, Margaret Fletcher and Bob Blacker will be going up to Merritt to meet with the community to confirm the final configuration for the library.

TELUS has asked for coordinates of all our existing libraries,< to see what connectivity they currently possess. We will build our future network from there. For the libraries already functioning, we will verify if we can also install video conferencing and tablet labs. So, another giant step for the entire Write to Read Project!