Wednesday, February 13, 2013

Resident Club Showcase: 100 Grandparents Club


One of the goals of the 100 Grandparents Club at On Top of the World Communities (OTOW) in Ocala, Florida is to help children understand the importance of reading. Club members travel to local elementary schools frequently to read, share and interact with classrooms of school children. The club has a group of "regular" readers who travel to the same classroom once a month and "substitute" readers who fill in when "regular" readers are unable to attend.

Romeo Elementary School in nearby Dunnellon, Florida educates children from kindergarten through the 5th grade. The classroom sizes vary from no more than 19 in the lower grades to 23 in the higher grade levels. The teacher from each of the participating classrooms remain in the room while the club members are reading to the class, creating a very relaxed and enjoyable atmosphere. It brings so much joy interacting and sharing with the children...it's the best part of the club members' adventures!

Other goals of the OTOW 100 Grandparents Club is to see that the children of Romeo Elementary School have food to eat for the weekend and ample school supplies for their education. The club is involved in the Feeding America BackPack for Kids Program where bags of donations are assembled and distributed at the end of the week to nearly 230,000 (nationally) children a year. 


The club also clip labels from various food items that read "Box Tops for Education" or "Labels for Education" which, with enough labels, can provide school supplies to be earned by the school. The 100 Grandparents Club are not the only ones clipping labels...OTOW residents are helping with this endeavor all year round!

Romeo Elementary School is very fortunate to have such a dedicated group of individuals helping them profit from what their club provides...food, school supplies and sharing the love of reading!

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