Stillwater NewsPress

Living

July 12, 2010

Making a Difference 7-11-10

Debbie Higgins leads Altrusa International of Stillwater to give books to kids

STILLWATER, Okla. — A treat for her granddaughter’s kindergarten class led Stillwater resident Debbie Higgins to suggest a new service project to her fellow Altrusans.

When her granddaughter’s class was ordering books through Scholastic, Higgins said, she ordered books herself as “a good grandmother.” When she went online, she noticed Scholastic had some inexpensive books.

“I thought that I wanted to order a book for every child in her class, so that’s what I did,” she said. “It brought the children such pleasure that when we (Altrusa International of Stillwater) started think about a new project, I thought, one, literacy and about how my granddaughter’s class enjoyed the books, and I thought about how we could do that on a larger scale as a club.”

A little more than a year ago, the Altrusan approached the club’s incoming president Saundra Shenold about proposing a project to buy a book for each kindergarten and first-grade student in Stillwater Public Schools.

“She said, ‘This is so adamant to me and so close to my heart that if Altrusa doesn’t want to do it, I’m doing it on my own,’” Shenold said.

The club agreed and at the meeting when Higgins proposed the BOOKS Project, they gave about $900 to kick it off, Shenold said.

During the 2009-10 school year, they gave about 1,000 books to about 50 classrooms in the six Stillwater elementary schools. They raised $5,600, Higgins said, and also gave away about $750 worth of school supplies to kindergarten and first-grade teachers at a reception in the fall.

Altrusans originally planned to give books to the three Title I schools in Stillwater, Higgins said, thinking they would not have enough money to give to all six elementary schools. The $5,600 raised in nine months, however, allowed them to give to each school, she added.

Although she proposed the project, Higgins is quick to give credit for its success to other Altrusans, saying that 100 percent of the club’s members participated.

“Even though I might have been instrumental in helping get it established, we could not have done what we did without every one of our members in our club,” she said.

Shenold, however, said Higgins’s leadership helped make the BOOKS project a success.

“She put so much of herself in it,” Shenold said. “That’s what made it work. We got to ride on her shirttail.”

Text Only | Photo Reprints
Living
Buy & Share Photos
NewsPress e-Edition
NewsPress Specials
AP Video
Obama: NSA Secret Data Gathering 'Transparent' Man Who Disrupted Flight Ranted About CIA Feds: 7-Eleven Stores Exploited Immigrants Fla. Teen Catches Ride With Whale Shark G8 Leaders Huddle on Syria Raw: Obama, Putin Meet at G8 Iran's Rowhani Urges 'Path of Moderation' Daughter: Mandela Doing 'Very Well' Investigators Probe Origin of Colo. Wildfire Ex-NFL Star Chad Johnson Out of Jail 'Game of Thrones' Boosts N. Ireland Raw: Prince Philip Leaves Hospital After Surgery Zimmerman Jury Selection Turns to Media Exposure Raw: FBI Meets Plane After Poison Threat Family Tweets Say Kim Kardashian Gives Birth US, EU Leaders Announce Free Trade Talks
Stocks
NDN Video
Caught on Tape: Davie Teacher Accused of Beating Autistic Child See Lindsay Lohan in Rehab "Stay Classy" Campaign Aims to Curb Binge Drinking Lil Wayne's New Music Video Has Some People Outraged Gaga Ditches Her Crazy Couture Sesame Street Tackling Tough Topic Parents in Jail Miss Utah Fumbles Interview Question Deranged man claims Newark-bound flight was poisoned Cameron Diaz and Kate Upton Show Off Their Amazing Bikini Bodies NBA FINALS: Spurs Win Game 5, Lead Series Exclusive Clip: Jodi Arias: 'Dirty Little Secret' Amphibious bus filled with tourists sinks Best Bikini Abs Historic Ruling Set in Affirmative Action Case Mix-Up at Daytime Emmy Awards Colorado Springs Wildfire 65% Contained Kim K. Is a New Mommy! Sarah Silverman Roasts Mel Brooks at AFI Tribute Moderate Cleric Wins Iranian Election Obama on Fatherhood: 'Best Job I've Got'