Fiscal Note
Fire Department staff will administer and participate in this program as part of their regular duties.
Title
Approving the Fire Department to conduct Reading Rocks fund raising program to purchase rocking chairs from Ayers Furniture for elementary schools with reading corners.
Body
The City of Madison Fire Department receives many requests for participation in community activities and reading to children is one of the favorites. Children not only benefit from having a guest read aloud but also benefit from engaging with someone in uniform in a calm and safe setting. Part of this safe setting is the reading corner that is set aside in most elementary classrooms. The corners traditionally have a rocking chair for the guest reader.
The City of Madison Fire Department works year round to develop a connection with students throughout Madison. In October alone, the Community Education Unit reaches 7,000 students for interactive presentations on Fire and Injury prevention.
However, one visit a year does not establish a relationship. Appearing in classrooms at different times of the year is a valuable opportunity to reinforce safety messages and engage with children in a way that fire safety is an ongoing value.
Under the Mayor’s initiatives for the City’s service to the community is the objective of helping children to stay safe in school. The presence of uniformed personnel is a beginning. However, the creation and maintenance of a safe and comforting setting further establishes those personal connections.
Fire Chief Debra Amesqua and the City of Madison Fire Department propose to raise approximately $6,000 in funding to purchase wooden rocking chairs that will replace chairs now in disrepair.
The chairs are being provided at cost by Ayers Furniture for $150.
NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that the Fire Department will participate in funding raising for the Reading Rocks Program, and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the City will purchase rockin...
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