From left, Marissa Guerrera, Ava Hempfling and Martha Burns enjoy the eReaders that the Lamorinda Sunrise Rotary helped to fund. Photo provided

Shortly after classes were under way last fall at Springhill Elementary School in Lafayette, fifth-grade teacher Martin Wong came up with the idea of replacing reading books in print form with their electronic counterparts.

After selling the idea to both of the other fifth-grade teachers, Christina Churchill and Deborah Hungerford, together they went knocking on the door of Springhill principal Mette Thallaug. To their elation, the reaction was affirmative, albeit with one caveat: Because no money had been budgeted for the purchase of eReaders, the funds would have to come from outside sources.

Within a few months, the full amount needed - $8,000 - had been raised, enough to acquire 120 Kindle Fires. Donations from parents, community members, and even strangers, with a matching gift from Chevron, were collected via DonorsChoose.org. As they neared the fundraising finish line, a check for $2,000 from Lamorinda Sunrise Rotary Club pushed them over the top.

For the Rotary club, it meant reviving a community service program it had long sponsored: handing out print dictionaries to every third-grader attending a Lafayette school. The program was dropped in 2010, by which time iPads, tablets and other internet-based technologies had begun to gain widespread use. Over a period of 10 years, Lamorinda Sunrise Rotary has donated more than $50,000 worth of Merriam-Websters.

Creation of Springhill's fifth-grade eReader project represented a perfect segue opportunity for the Club, redirecting its contributions toward updated curricular needs.

"We welcomed the opportunity to participate," said club president Ron Melvin. "Support of education has always been a priority commitment for Lamorinda Sunrise Rotary, as it is for Rotary clubs from coast to coast."

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