Born to Read is the signature project of the Rotary Club of Traverse Bay Sunrise (Born to Read was previously the signature project of the Rotary Club of Traverse Bay Twilight until it merged with Sunrise). Our mission is to promote early literacy by spreading the word about the importance of reading, talking, and singing with children everyday starting at birth – and even during pregnancy.
Born to Read is an all volunteer effort, made possible by working closely with collaborating partners, including: the Traverse Area District Library, Healthy Futures at Munson Medical Center, the Traverse Bay Area Intermediate School District’s Early Childhood programs, Great Start and 5toOne, and the Everybody Reads Network/Read to Me collaborative, as well as other community organizations who share our mission.
As our work expands, other organizations and groups are joining us in reaching out to the community with our message, including:
While we are an all-volunteer project, we do have expenses – books, printing, supplies, training, website development – to a name a few. Fortunately our community has been most generous in supporting our work.
We are grateful for the financial contributions provided by:
In addition, the following businesses provide in-kind contributions that help keep our expenses down:
When Born to Read started in 2010, our Rotary Club didn’t have a mechanism for applying for grants or receiving tax-deductible contributions in support of our work. To purchase books and supplies, we collected money in exchange for bookmarks in front of grocery stores and raised funds from our members. It soon became apparent that if we wanted the program to be successful and sustained over time, we needed to access sources of funds beyond our small Club.
In 2015, Club members incorporated the Rotary Club of Traverse Bay Twilight Foundation as a vehicle for financially supporting our literacy projects. In 2016, we began seeking grants and tax-deductible contributions to
Your tax-deductible donations in support of Born to Read are gratefully accepted.