Page 16 - Montana Freemason Magazine March 2014

Montana Freemason March 2014 Volume 90 Number 1

The Montana Masonic Foundation
Reading Achievement Program

The Montana Masonic Foundation and local area This program is made available by the Montana
Masonic Lodges like Dillon Masonic Lodge No. 16 Masonic Foundation and local area Lodges as a public
have been promoting reading in the public schools charity and awareness program promoting public
for many years. Prior to 2005 the Montana Masonic education. The aim of this program is to encourage
Foundation in conjunction with local Lodges had a grade school children to learn to enjoy reading.
Scholarship Program for High School Students; there For more information contact your District Officer.
are a few Lodges around the State that still conduct
this program.

In 2005 we started the Bikes for Books Reading
Program. This program is made available by the
Montana Masonic Foundation as a public charity and
awareness program promoting public education.

The preliminary design of the Bikes for Books
program is to approach a local school (usually
elementary, the recommended grade levels should be
grade 1 through 4) and have the school library run a
reading promotion program. For each book a child
reads they are allowed to put an entry slip in for a
drawing for a new Bike.

The more books the student reads the more entries
the get to make thus increasing the chances of being
selected. The local Lodge participation comes from
donating the bikes, attending the drawing and award
ceremony, and possibly by assisting in the reading of
books to the lower grades. The Lodge can on their
own, also add more to the program and awards to the
extent the school system will allow.

In each community it is up the local Lodge to
participate, and to how many schools they work with
and how many Bikes they make available.

For the 2013- year the Montana Masonic Foundation What does 300 Kindles look like?
has added the Kindles for Kids program. Lodges may
continue with Bikes for Books or utilize the Kindles There are still a few Kindles available if your
for Kids or a combination of both. The program is Lodge is interested in participation. You can find
basically the same the only thing different is will a the form on-line, ask your District Officer or call
student win a Bike or Kindle. The Bikes for Books the Grand Lodge Office.
program will be phased out in favor of the Kindles for
Kids. Many if not most school libraries have the ability
to download selected electronic books, and of course
many books are available for free from Amazon; of
course remember the Kindle is to keep a student
excited and interested in reading. Here in Montana
we also have some authors of children’s books who
are working with Amazon and the Montana Masonic
Foundation to make some specific children’s books
available for fee donated by author of children’s books
who live here.

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