Sarah McIntyre, a member of the Sandy Rotary Club and also the Library
Director for the Sandy Library, enjoyed visiting all the elementary schools in
the Oregon Trail School District to give free books to preschool, Head Start,

kindergarten, first grade and second grade students. At one school, a student
was on a mission to find the most difficult book for him to read.

“I think he was in kindergarten,” McIntyre said. “We finally found one that
was hard enough for him. It’s really fun to see how excited they get and to
foster a love of reading.”

The club, which formed in 2022, donated approximately 1,000 books total,
thanks to fundraising efforts and a matching grant from the Rotary
Foundation. Books included fiction and non-fiction, with titles ranging from
“Fly Guy” to “Star Wars” to National Geographic books on otters and more.
“It’s fun to see them all excited to get a book,” said Rotarian Shelley Anderson
when she came with McIntyre to Welches Elementary School on Friday, April
14, to give out books. “(Reading is) the key to everything.”

“A powerful way to build young readers is to allow kids to choose books they
are interested in reading,” Welches Schools Principal Kendra Payne added.
“This gift from Rotary allows kids to do just that, choose their own book to
read and also to keep.”

“I want to thank the Sandy Rotarians for choosing to support the academic
success of our youngest students,” OTSD Superintendent Aaron Bayer said.
“Owning their own books inspires a sense of pride and excitement for
learning.”

The Sandy Rotary Club has partnered with other local groups to support
projects, including the Sandy Senior Center, Ant Farm, Sandy Action Center,
City of Sandy and Sandy Kiwanis Club. McIntyre noted that no specific
projects are planned for the immediate future, but the group will be
fundraising for projects down the road. She added that Rotarians are expected
to sell tamales at the Sandy Library’s Spring Celebration, on Saturday, May
6,, and at the City of Sandy’s Run/Walk with Pride on Saturday, June 10, to
benefit Students Advocating for Equality. The club also hopes to sell mini pies
at this year’s Sandy Mountain Festival.

The Sandy Rotary Club meets at 4:30 p.m. on the second and fourth
Wednesdays of each month, at the Sandy Family Restaurant, 39024 Proctor
Blvd. in Sandy. To learn more about the Rotary Club of Sandy, visit
www.sandyrotary.com.