Genielle Byczynski, winner of the state DAR Bronze Metal, Certificate and Scholarship, is pictured with Brenda Johnson, Regent of the Benjamin Prescott Chapter NSDAR.

Calling All Carpenters! The Children of the Book Summer Reading Camp is seeking volunteers who are interested in building to assist them with a project to build bookshelves for program participants.

The solid wood bookshelves will be constructed with wood that was purchased with a portion of the funds secured by the Jamestown Noon Rotary Club in the form of a District Grant. Once completed, the bookshelves will then be given to each participant to take home and use themselves.

Cilla and Dave Menzies are coordinating the building project. They are seeking volunteers (or teams of volunteers) to get started on the shelves as soon as possible, to be completed before the end of the reading camp in July. The wood, other supplies and plans are available at the Menzies house. Anyone interested in assisting with the project is asked to contact the Menzies via email at Dmenz59@gmail.com.

“We decided to do the book shelves because this is more than a reading camp. Our intention is to increase literacy in children’s lives and in their own homes. Research shows a very simple fact; good readers all do one specific thing, they read!” says Mrs. Menzies. “We hope to help these kids start a library of their own to foster their love of books and reading. I remember my own children’s messy bookshelves when they were young. They read and listened to their favorite books hundreds of times.”

St. Luke’s Episcopal Church hosts the Children of the Book Summer Reading Camp at their downtown location, 410 N. Main St., Jamestown. The program was initiated as a means for elementary students to maintain reading levels over the summer. COTB’s mission is to provide positive family-focused literacy instruction to children who are below grade level or are at risk of falling below grade level during the summer recess.

Rotary Club President Gary Padak says that the club has been pleased to support the program by to providing supplies, curricular materials, books for students, and volunteer readers for the past two summers.

“We our happy to see our grant funds used in such a positive way to support our local community.” Padak said. “Supporting literacy development and awareness in the local community is one of Rotary International’s Six Areas of Focus, and our club members are honored to be involved in the Children of the Book efforts to accomplish this joint camp/club objective.

This year’s six-week program will begin on Monday, June 26, and run through July 28th. For more information about student pre-registration or volunteering for the Children of the Book Summer Reading Camp, please contact St. Luke’s Episcopal Church at 483-6405.