PRESS RELEASE
February 25, 2009
From Rotary Club of
Lake Union
Contact: Reitha Weeks
rweeks@nwabr.org
206-957-3337x305
Rotary Club of Lake Union supports Secondary Bilingual Orientation Center during difficult financial times.
Seattle, Washington, February 25th 2009 -
Members from the Rotary Club of Lake Union Neighborhood will present a
check to Secondary Bilingual Orientation Center Principal, Martin O’Callaghan, on Thursday, Feb.
26th at 5:30pm at SBOC’s Family Night event.
The Rotary Club of Lake Union will support the purchase of history textbooks,
bi-lingual dictionaries, microscopes, digital cameras and a display
case for the students of the SBOC, a Seattle Public School, through their $7,560 donation.
Rotary Club of Lake
Union Neighborhood raised money for the supplies by holding a raffle
last spring and by collecting donations. Those funds were then
matched by Rotary District 5030 and the Rotary Club of Seattle
through the Rotary District Simplified Grant program for community
service projects.
SBOC is the only school
in the Seattle School District serving immigrant students, many of
whom arrive under challenging circumstances and speaking no English.
SBOC, located on Queen Anne hill in the old John Hay School, serves
approximately 300 students per year. Over thirty-four languages and
dialects are spoken by the diverse student body. Students attend the
school for up to three semesters, before transferring to mainstream
schools. The school faculty and staff of approximately 40 provide a
supportive learning environment for academic, social and life skills.
Classes provide a foundation in English, science, mathematics and
social studies. Volunteers and counselors introduce families to
community resources.
The Rotary Club of Lake
Union Neighborhood has been supporting SBOC efforts for over a year. The
principal, students and faculty have been speakers at Rotary club
meetings and Rotarians have attended school events. Last year, the
Rotary Club of Lake Union Neighborhood, in partnership with Argosy
Cruises, provided two graduation cruises on Lake Union cruise to the graduating/transferring
students in January and June 2008. The Rotary Club of Lake Union is
a new club, chartered in June 2007, with 26 members. It meets every
Friday morning at 7:00 A.M for breakfast and a program at the Center for Wooden
Boats on Lake Union. (www.lakeunionrotary.org)
Rotary is an
international organization whose objective is to foster service and
help build goodwill and peace. Rotary District 5030 encompasses 55
clubs, including Rotary Club of Lake Union.
Dr. Maria Goodloe-Johnson was selected by the Seattle School Board on April 12, 2007, as the
