MORAN — Marmaton Valley Elementary School library’s benefited from a recent gift of $2,000 from the Iola Rotary Club.
The funds will support a book vending machine installed in August.
Rotary President Sharon Moreland and Secretary Donna Grigsby presented Diane Smith, MVES librarian, with the funds Monday.
Smith spoke at the Rotary Club’s March 6 meeting about the project and the positive impact it has already had on her students, increasing reading scores and improving behavior.
The $2,000 will help to refill the machine three times a year with books the children can take home to keep. Smith also shared that students wanted to read “thicker” books that would not fit in the machine without a new rack, so the Rotary gift included $150 for that need.
The Rotary Club of Iola is a service organization that supports, among other things, literacy efforts in Allen County. The Dolly Parton Imagination Library is an ongoing project of the club and members have provided financial support to area schools, including the Iola Elementary School library. Rotary Day in the Park on Saturday, May 17, is the primary fundraising effort of the club and features a barbecue competition, car show, silent auction, and live music.
Donors who helped make the book vending machine possible include Blue Horse Guitars, American Legion Auxiliary, Masonic Lodge, Monarch Cement, Community National Bank, B&W Trailer Hitches, and Moran Ruritan.
