One Jail, Four Rotary Clubs, 1000 Books and Magazines...

L-R: ADG Ben Hunter, Cherry Gipson (Smyrna), Jay Treadwell (Smyrna), Colonel Janet Prince, Ken Crowell (President, East Cobb), Tim Bailey (President, Marietta Metro), Michael Martin (President, South Cobb), Chief Deputy Milton Beck and ADG Kurt von Borries along with some of the books and magazines donated.

Cobb Jail just got about 1,000 gently used books and magazines thanks to dozens of generous Rotarians at East Cobb Rotary, South Cobb Rotary, Marietta Metro Rotary and Smyrna Rotary. The project started with Rotarian Jay Treadwell, who had boxes of gently used books that needed a home. Last year, Smyrna Rotary donated about 450 books and magazines to the Smyrna Jail, but now they have all that they can handle. Contacting Cobb Jail was the next logical choice, and they responded eagerly.

But why do this? South Cobb Rotary’s President Michael Martin explains: “The inmates in the Cobb Prison system are people like us who have dreams, hopes and wishes that have been deferred because of criminal activity. Showing care and concern for their wellbeing may help rekindle and make possible the dreams, hopes and wishes that were put on hold.”

Adds East Cobb Rotary’s President Ken Crowell: “Inmates are just like the rest of us—they need to be intellectually stimulated to be productive. It’s our hope that these books and magazines will help give them a glimpse of what life can be after their release.”

The project was fairly simple. “We just asked members in the clubs to find gently used books and magazines from their own collections,” says Smyrna’s Narayan Sengupta. “We also bought a few at Goodwill and elsewhere. We added ‘Donated by Rotary’ labels to as many of the books and magazines as we could. The total project cost was under $100, but the value was thousands of dollars.”

The last word on this should come from Chief Deputy Milton Beck and Colonel Janet Prince in the Cobb County Sheriff’s Office. They write:

It is with our sincerest thanks and appreciation that Rotary has taken an interest in promoting literacy for those individuals in custody with limited access to resources within the community. Your contribution of reading materials (books and magazines) will have a significant impact on our inmate population who would not otherwise be able to afford to purchase these items. In a correctional environment where there is minimal activities to occupy their time and minds, this donation will serve as a reminder that there are those that care about all individuals in our community, regardless of their circumstances. Again, we thank you for your kindness and spirit of giving.