Josh the Otter, Float for Life!

Posted on Feb 13, 2019
 
 May is National Water Safety Month!! ..and  The WT Rotary Club had a great time with our local school children,  greeting, sharing, and facilitating the event!  Special thanks to Randy Carbone, and the High School Interact Club for organizing another great year!!  Fun was had by all!   
Josh the Otter, Float for Life, Newsletter
 
 
The following are a number of ways that you may participate:
  1. Mentally – Teaching Water Safety
    1. By purchasing the Josh the Otter Baby Book, distributing and reading it to the Kindergarten children in your school district. (Rotary cost is $3.75, delivered)
    2. BY distributing the book to your local Libraries and reading it to the children at their Saturday’s Children’s Time. Josh the Otter is also a great Literacy Project.
    3. By purchasing the book and distributing to the Elementary School teachers
      1. Our newest Rotary Club, the Tri-County (Vineland, Millville, Buena, Newfield) Rotary Club, has donated JTO books to the Vineland Public School District to be included in the Pre-K Curriculum, and each teacher will have a book.  Books will also be donated to the Vineland Public Library Children's Department for Preschooler and Kindergarten Read-Alouds.
  2. Physically – Teaching How to Float and Swim
    1. Attached are the templates you may use that the Voorhees Breakfast club has developed to sponsor children that do not know how to swim.
    2. Your club can also fund scholarships to send instructors to the new JTO – FLF facility currently under construction in Lincoln, NE. Instructors will be Trained and Certified to teach infants, toddlers and children how to float, swim and Water Safety, return to their facility, fully certified.
  3. Funding – How to fund the projects
    1. I am not going to tell you how to fund these projects. You have been funding your projects for years, I just want to give you some additional tips
      1. District Grants
      2. Sponsorships, Banks, Hospitals, Urgent Care Centers – these have been most cooperative.
      3. Club Budget                          
  4. Events
    1. May is National Water Safety Month. The first Monday in May (the first week) is Spot the Otter Day. This is a good time to contact the schools and make preparations to order the books, schedule the schools, get volunteers to help distribute and read the books to the kids.
  5. Resources
    1. www.josttheotter.org. has much information and in the Rotary section is where you place your orders.
    2. District Office Administrator, Melanie Druziako hosts the Josh the Otter costume. at the Vineland Office. Arrangements for its use is through Melanie. For those that might consider the purchase of one, it is regularly $2,400.00. Rotary Cost is $2,000.00. It would be great if we could get one for our Northern Counties.
    3. Any questions contact me or Melanie. My contact information is at the bottom of the page.
 
Thank You, thank you!
 
 
Alan  
Alan F. Stein, PDG 2011-12
Rotary International District 7505
Josh the Otter Chair
Josh the Otter Advocate
Director, Joshua Collingsworth Memorial Foundation
p: 856-667-3116
C: 609-320-7876
F: 856-667-9212
Member Voorhees Breakfast Rotary Club