Ames Morning Rotary

05/28/2026

Ok after the fire at the mall changed our plans we’re back on today! Please visit us to see a Tryke build at 5:30 PM, near the Raising Readers suite at the North Grand Mall in Ames! Please Like and Share this post!

05/28/2026

After years of holding A Salute to Educators award, we decided to switch it up this year and brought cookies to all schools is Ames as a gesture of thanks for all the awesome teachers and the work they do. We’re champions for literacy and our teachers are the forefront of that effort. Thank-you teachers!

05/21/2026

Whoa! Hold up there cowboy/girl! …apparently there was a fire at the mall so we’ll need to postpone our Tyke Build. Stay Tuned! Hopefully next week…

05/21/2026

Join AM Rotary Thursday at North Grand Mall as we build a new Tryke being donated to a special child! 5:30 PM! We’d love to see a whole crowd of folks!

05/08/2026

Whew! 14 Story County City Councils and the Story County Board of Supervisors! They all adopted proclamations supporting early literacy. Representatives of and Raising Readers in Story County were able to share our passion, and we left each council with 5 posters and 10 postcards to distribute!

Carolyn said it all:
A HUGE SINCERE thank you to all our folks who participated in the visits and with social media posts. As we walked out tonight, we felt this project had made a significant contribution to our outreach.

05/05/2026

Know a High School Freshman, Sophomore, or Junior? Do they like to have fun with other Freshmen, Sophomores or Juniors? Well Iowa Rotary Youth Leadership Awards Conference applications are open until May 31! And Scholarships are available from Ames Morning Rotary!

Great news! It is not too late to apply for 2026 Iowa RYLA. Deadline has been extended to May 31, 2026!!!

04/10/2026

Brave souls! This week and next our intrepid band of Ames AM Rotary volunteers and our partners at Raising Readers of Story County are visiting as many local Council meetings as we could schedule. We’re there to declare the Week of the Young Child, and to share the word that we support early childhood literacy as foundational. Thank you team! Pics here from Maxwell and Colo, Iowa.

03/31/2026

Will Wendy dress up as the Llama this year?! To find out come to the annual Step into Storybooks for families with young children on Saturday, April 11, from 10 am - 1 pm, at North Grand Mall. It will kick off the Week of the Young Child. . It will feature book-related activities, costumed characters, and every child can choose a book to keep.

02/08/2026

Did you know Raising Readers of Story County is looking for you? Our guest this week was Hanna Bell, Volunteer Coordinator for Raising Readers in Story County. Hanna described the many great early literacy and reading programs that RRSC offers. But they need your help. Visit their space at North Grand Mall in Ames, or check out their website:

Playful Pages Family Workshops: Playful Pages Family Workshops is an opportunity for story time, caregiver strategies, and collaborative activities that build language and literacy through family play! Volunteers will be greeting families at the door and checking them in, assisting with on...

01/26/2026

We recently had the honor of hosting Iowa State Naval ROTC Marine Officer Instructor, Captain Alexander Macki as our guest speaker. Thank you Captain Macki for your engaging discussion about your work, and for your Service to our country! ROTC is a great way for young people to serve and learn, while also getting 1, 2, 3, and 4 year scholarship opportunities. Info is available at their website:

Develop midshipmen morally, mentally and physically and to imbue them with the highest ideals of duty, honor, and loyalty.