The 28th annual Rotary "Read-In" will be held at 10 a.m. on Thursday, Feb. 21. 

During the Read-In, members of the local community will spend an hour at a local elementary school to read a book (they have purchased) to students in a classroom. The Read-In coordinates volunteer readers in each kindergarten through third-grade class in Stockton. The books are then donated to the school to enhance their libraries. 

The Office of External Relations is coordinating the readers for four schools, three in Stockton Unified and one in Lincoln Unified School District.  Our colleagues in Athletics are also coordinating school efforts for the Read-In. Jim Dugoni, senior director of estate and gift planning, is a member of the North Stockton Rotary Club and is this year's overall chairperson of the Rotary Read-In.

If you would like to participate as a volunteer reader, please contact Lisa Douglass, community engagement manager at ldouglass@pacific.edu by Feb. 5. School assignments and further details will go out early February. (Staff can participate with supervisor approval, but non-exempt staff must flex their schedules or be paid overtime. Participants will need to complete the Voluntary Community Service Request Form.)

The Stockton Barnes and Noble in the Weberstown Mall, a longtime loyal supporter of Pacific's Beyond Our Gates outreach, has a Rotary Read-In book drive starting Feb. 1 through Feb. 21.  The store will have a large display with selected books for each of the grades (K-3) and will offer a 20% discount to volunteer readers purchasing a book to read at this year's event. (Please mention the Rotary Read-In at the check-out to receive the discount.)  A significant portion of the sales will be donated to the Stockton San Joaquin Public Library. We hope you will consider taking part in this great annual reading event.