The ribbon is cut, and Inchy’s Bookworm Vending Machine is ready to pay off at Raguet Elementary.
On Tuesday – the day before classes got underway for the new school year – members of NISD’s Education Foundation and Nacogdoches Rotary Club gathered in the hallway outside the school’s cafeteria to mark the occasion.
A $4,500 innovative grant from Nacogdoches ISD Education Foundation provided much of the funding for the book vending machine. Raguet teachers Deidre Merseal, Grace Beaty, Vonda Hoppe and Stacie Adkins wrote the grant that was awarded in April. Raguet came up with the additional money needed to complete the project.
Students at the campus will earn tokens to use in the machine – for academic achievement or good behavior. The goal is to get books in front of students.
“We’re so proud of this and excited too,” said principal Julia Wells. “We’re grateful for the education foundation’s grant and the generosity of the Rotary Club. I just can’t wait for students to see this on Wednesday.”
Money raised by the Foundation funds a number of initiatives within the district, such as grants to teachers and staff that pay for innovative projects that benefit NISD students. The Foundation is a 501(c)(3) organization, and all contributions are tax deductible.
Because of Rotary Club’s ongoing commitment to literacy in Nacogdoches, the machine will remain stocked for the foreseeable future. On Tuesday, Ed Pool announced the club was committing an additional $1,500 to the school to buy books, upping Rotary’s total investment in the program to $2,000. Pool is Vice President of Development on NEF’s Board of Directors and also oversees Rotary’s literacy program that sets up mobile libraries around town during the summer.
Using NEF funds on the project fit perfectly within the Foundation’s business framework, said Executive Director Erin Windham. What makes the commitment even sweeter is the collaboration with Rotary Club and the Raguet campus.
“The foundation is thrilled to partner with others in the community and at Raguet on a project like this,” said NEF Executive Director Erin Windham. “These are the kinds of solutions that NEF is here for, and I’m grateful for the donors – and many of them are our teachers and staff – and the commitment of our board to make all of this happen.”
