One book times 74 people equals a lot of happy kids — and a pleased international president.
Nelson Tucker of Northridge, Calif., the president of the Kiwanis International, visited Emporia today to help celebrate the new “Power of One” book program. The Kansas-wide program calls on each Kiwanis member to buy one children’s book for a local library.
In Emporia, that meant 38 books for the Emporia Public Library from the members of the Kiwanis Club of Emporia and 36 books for the Emporia school district from the Hi-Noon Kiwanis Club. Those 36 books will be divided evenly among the city’s six elementary schools.
“When I first heard we were doing this project, I was very excited,” said Tucker, who is visiting Kiwanis clubs throughout the state with his wife, Elva.
“We’ve been to many parts of the world where reading is a challenge. When I found out you had started something that was taking Reading is Fundamental to a different level, I was very excited.”
“We hope this can become an annual event,” Kiwanis district governor Max Klamm said of the book program. “We think there’s merit in it.”
Klamm and Tucker read to preschool children from some of the donated books at the Emporia Public Library this morning.
This is the first visit of an international president to Emporia since 1998, when the evening Kiwanis Club celebrated its 75th anniversary.