IT'S LITERACY MONTH

While serving as a Peace Corps volunteer in Floresti, Moldova, Megan Miller realized her school lacked essential supplies and needed windows that could keep out extreme temperatures. As a former Rotary Youth Exchange student, she knew exactly where to turn and contacted the local Rotary Club of Chisinau (Moldova) and her father's Rotary Club of Van Wert (Ohio, USA). With help from a Rotary Foundation Matching Grant, the two clubs were able to secure the supplies and windows for the school.

Miller grew up inspired by the volunteerism and dedication to service demonstrated by her father, a past president of the Van Wert club. She spent her senior year of high school in Baden, Austria, as a Youth Exchange student and says the network of Youth Exchange students in Europe provided a strong support system and became a second family to her. "Beyond just volunteerism, Rotary is really an international organization," she says.

Her exchange led her to spend a semester and multiple summers in Africa while she was in college. She joined the Peace Corps after graduating in 2004 and spent the next two years in Moldova. There she taught a life-skills class to 1st through 11th graders and worked with her fellow teachers to develop a new public health curriculum for all grades. She drew support from her parents, especially her mother, who is also a teacher.

When she discovered her school's needs, Miller turned to Rotary for help because of her past involvement with the organization and its commitment to service. Though it took some persistence, she successfully facilitated the partnership between the two clubs. "It took awhile to get the ball rolling, but it definitely paid off," says Miller. "I felt so indebted to both clubs for taking this on and getting us what we needed."
Now studying social work in graduate school in Boston, she says she's interested in joining a Rotary club in the future and continues to participate in projects back home