Reading is cool! Pass it on. That was the theme at the Rotary Club of Honolulu’s Palama Settlement new library project January 24-25. Rotarians’ passion for literacy was a perfect match for the club’s latest service project constructing bookshelves and sorting nearly 10,000 books for the Kalihi-Palama community center. This is a nontraditional library–books are strategically located throughout the campus instead of in a single, stodgy room. It’s also “giving” library–you can keep the book if you want it.
Honolulu Rotary is also telling its own story in new, nontraditional ways these days. Reports of the library project are up on worldpress.com, Big Island blogs, and even YouTube. KITV’s spot has been picked up online. Tradewind, the club’s enewsletter, will soon post photos and video clips from members. Members can also post them on their own sites for family and friends. The new media offer innovative ways to reach out to members, potential members and partners. Honolulu Rotarians are to be commended for jumping in and experimenting with these new technologies. Hands-on is best, whether you’re building a bookshelf or navigating audioswaps on YouTube.
Check out the videos:
1. Architect Sid Snyder (center) lends a hand, flanked by (from left) Rotarians Lynn Kenny, Jerry and Cheri Rauschorst, Dave Bellino, (Sid), Dan Bent and Larry Robles.
2. Three keiki from Kalili enjoy storytelling with a Palama Settlement staffer.
3. Rotarians Kalo Matele Sokup (left) and Linda Rich sort some of the thousands of donated books for Palama Settlement’s new “giving livrary.”
4. Rotarian Kirk Hovious made sure we all had jobs. He organizes all of Honolulu Rotary Club’s construction projects. Couldn’t do it without you, Kirk!
Kayleen Polichetti
Hastings & Pleadwell: Communicating 