September 8 is International Literacy Day. Why do we need International Literacy Day? Can’t most everybody read?

According to UNESCO, 781 million adults and 126 million children worldwide cannot read. More than 60% of the world’s illiterate population are women.

UNESCO views literacy as a fundamental human right. As a Rotarian, I donate $2 from every book sold at Rotary events to Rotary Literacy initiatives like Rotary Reader, a program that promotes reading in public schools. On Tuesday, my home club is collecting children’s books to donate to school libraries. Another area club gave Rotary bookmarks to schools.

When I was growing up, I never watched a cartoon without seeing commercials for “Reading Is Fundamental.” I read to travel, to experience alternate worlds, to meet people I’d never meet in real life, to explore ideas and opinions that differed from mine. I cannot imagine what my childhood would’ve been like without…