Vinita Rotary Club  Vinita, Oklahoma

 

Weekly Meeting Bulletin

July 22, 2009

What is The Dictionary Project? The idea for the Dictionary Project began in 1992 when Annie Plummer of Savannah, Georgia gave 50 dictionaries to children who attended a school close to her home. She didnít stop there. In her lifetime she raised money to buy 17,000 dictionaries for children in Savannah.   Mary French, a Rotarian and former school secretary, admired Annieís work and took up the crusade in Charleston, South Carolina. Under Maryís leadership, Annieís idea has developed into The Dictionary Project, a nonprofit organization. Since the project began, over 10 million children nationwide have received dictionaries because thousands of people saw the same need in communities all over the United States.   District 6110's Connection In 2001, one of the members of The Southside Rotary Club of Tulsa, Oklahoma saw an article describing Mary Frenchís work and the club ordered enough dictionaries for each of Springdale Elementaryís (Tulsa) third grade students. The books were such a hit that Southside Rotary decided to enlarge the program to include all the third grade children in the entire Tulsa Public School District. Reaching Out The project has grown beyond Rotary District 6110 to the point where our project serves as a resource for other Rotary clubs in other districts. Thousands of dictionaries have been distributed to third grade students and their teachers in schools across the nation. Results That Last This project is an effort to improve literacy, and consequently improving the lives of children for a lifetime. It is a one-on-one personal contact with the future of our nation. The cost is minimal and the rewards are great. Visit www.dictionaryproject.org for more information.   Literacy is the single most important factor for human economic advancement and a better quality of life.î --www.RotaryLiteracy.com   Catered by Golden Spike Rotarian of the Ed DeLozier Ed graduated High School in Nowata in 1973. He attended college at Tahlequah studying chemistry and mathematics. After college Ed married Lori and they went to work in the family chemical company. Ed now owns and operates OMNI Water Consultants, which he and Lori started in 1999. Ed and Lori have two children Cale, 29 Lacey 27 and one grandson Graham 3. His hobbies are flying small airplanes, boating and spending quality time with family and friends. Today's Program Debbie Fink & Jerry DeLozier Rotary Club of Nowata, OK Rotarian of the Day Schedule July Merle Dixon - July 29 August Amy DeVore - August 5 Charlie Enyart - August 12 Marsha Emerson - August 19 No Meeting August 26 - Rodeo Parade! Happy Birthday! C.J. Elliott – July 29 Spotlight on SERVICE...The Dictionary Project For the 2008-09 school year, the Vinita Rotary Club spent $493.30 on PERSONALIZED DICTIONARIES for 232 THIRD GRADERS in Craig County. The elementary schools participating included: Will Rogers (Vinita), Welch, Bluejacket, White Oak, Ketchum and Cowboy Junction. How does this project work? We contact the third grade teachers and find out the number of students they have enrolled. Dictionaries are ordered through the District 6110 Dictionary Project. We schedule a distribution day, Rotarians meet and each student is presented a personalized Dictionary from the Vinita Rotary Club. And we will do it again for the 2009-10 school year as well!! KIDS WHO READ SUCCEED!! Vinita Rotarians Jeanne Bussey and Rod Couch present dictionaries Wednesday to Will Rogers third-graders Newley Michael and Kayla Rivera. Rotarians visited third-graders at Will Rogers to give each one a personalized dictionary to use at school and take home at the end of the year. (Photo by Angela Martin.) Please Email Comments/Suggestions to: webmaster@vinitarotary.org