Rotary Club Camden County
🎙 Podcast Recap
Episode 89 — Get In Your Business Podcast
Episode 89 features Alison Shores sitting down with Mitch Blyler to spotlight something that impacts the future of Camden County: early childhood literacy.
The conversation centers around the Rotary Club of Camden County’s We Read program, which provides children ages birth to five with a free book in the mail every single month through Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library.
Mitch highlights the powerful reality:
Kids learn to read through third grade — after that, they read to learn. If a child falls behind early, it can affect their academic performance for years to come.
Mitch shares how he originally signed his own daughter up for the program without even realizing Rotary funded it locally. What started as “a free book every month” became a family tradition — checking the mailbox, reading together, and building vocabulary and confidence.
But here’s the challenge:
The program is 100% locally funded
There are no Georgia state dollars supporting it
It costs about $32 per child per year
Nearly 300 children are enrolled
Over 100 kids are currently on the waitlist
The Rotary Club is at a crossroads. The program must be funded to continue — and to reopen enrollment for children waiting to receive books.
The episode also dives into:
What Rotary really does in Camden County
How businesses can sponsor multiple community events
How younger professionals can get involved
Why doing business with companies that give back matters
🎯 Podcast Recap CTA
If you believe every child deserves a strong start…
📚 Sponsor a child
🤝 Partner as a business
💛 Share this episode
Visit camdencountyrotary.org to donate or get involved.
Let’s keep We Read alive — and let’s get those kids off the waitlist.
