From the smiles of local third graders getting their own dictionaries to the smiles of children in Nigeria getting their own books from the United
States, it is clear the Rotary Club of Parole (Annapolis) is making a difference. The Parole Rotary Club is 36 years old and has been one of the most active and vibrant clubs in Rotary District 7620 throughout its history. The club tends to support programs for youth, including educational opportunities, international exchanges for students, and vocational and career development. And, we have fun doing it. The club’s signature project is Books for International Goodwill (B.I.G.). In a rented warehouse B.I.G. collects over 1,000 books per day, sorts them, and has sent 9 million of them to underserved parts of the world over the past 21 years to keep these books alive and to assist in the growth of education and culture in developing countries. B.I.G.’s latest shipment was 14,000 books to Nigeria. About every six weeks, interesting books not suitable for overseas shipments of educational material are offered for sale to book dealers and to local residents at very reasonable prices, and proceeds pay for the shipments of books that go overseas. The next sale will be on August 20.
The club supports environmental and social programs by using the B.I.G. warehouse facility as a location for paper shredding and recycling
events and for the collection of clothing and other needs for local families living at or under the poverty level. One recent shredding event
shredded and recycled 5,500 pounds of old paper free of charge. The shredding company estimated that this saved 47 mature trees, 19,250
gallons of water, 8 cubic yards of landfill space and 1,273 gallons of oil. The Parole Club is continually looking for projects such as these that benefit children to fulfill the club’s vision, “We will make a positive difference for youth today, so they will make a difference tomorrow.”