Rotary Club Donates Letter-Writing Materials to Alton Elementary Schools

ALTON - The Alton-Godfrey Rotary Club donated materials to local Alton elementary schools to encourage letter-writing and literacy.

On Tuesday, Feb. 10, 2026, Rotary Club members and Alton Community Unit School District #11 administrators gathered at West Elementary School to introduce the students to letter-writing. Students were encouraged to write a letter to their favorite person, with the goal to eventually expand this project so students write letters to veterans, domestic violence survivors, nursing home residents, and more.

“[It’s] just re-emphasizing to our students that the world is bigger than just ourselves and our needs,” explained West Elementary School Principal TaRael Kee. “We have a responsibility to the people around us to uplift them, to make them feel better, to make them feel like they belong, to smile when no one else is smiling. We owe that to each other. That’s how you have a greater society.”

Kee and administrators Jody Meggos and Rene Hart thanked the Alton-Godfrey Rotary Club for their donation. Over the past several decades, the Rotary Club has supported the Alton School District through literacy materials and programs.

Ron Mayhew, a former teacher at West Elementary School and longtime Rotary member, recalled how the club previously gifted dictionaries to every student. As cell phones and computers have become more popular, the need for dictionaries has decreased, but Mayhew noted that literacy is as important as ever.

“It came to a point where I thought, wait a minute, every kid has a dictionary in their pocket. They didn’t appreciate those dictionaries anymore,” he remembered. “So we switched to doing something different.”

Over the years, the Rotary Club has donated book vending machines and literacy games to Alton schools. This year’s donation — letter-writing supplies like envelopes, cardstock, pens, markers, stickers and more — will be another chance for students to develop their writing and reading skills.

“A literate society is an advanced society,” shared Rotary Club member Larry Thompson. “We’ve all always known that. The more literate these children are, the more successful they will be.”

Students’ letters will be shared at Oasis Women’s Center, Amy Elik’s Valentine’s for Veterans drive, local nursing homes, and with older and younger students at Alton High School and Gilson Brown Elementary School, among others.

Kee emphasized that there’s no limit to the good that these letters might do. He thanked the Rotary Club for their continued support of the school district.

“I just really value the Rotary Club. They’ve done so much for the community,” he said. “They’re constantly reaching out, providing books for our book vending machine and all sorts of things, just so the kids continue to read and continue to care about others. They really make a positive impact on the community.”

This is the goal of the organization, Thompson and Mayhew added. They encourage anyone who is interested in joining the Alton-Godfrey Rotary Club to visit their official website or attend a meeting.

“Our goal is to make our community better,” Thompson said. “We have been able to do a lot of good in the world, and particularly in the area of literacy in the communities throughout the world. Every Rotary Club has, as one of its goals, to help their communities. Literacy is one of those ways that we consider is useful in helping our community.”

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