Colorado: A defining moment

by Ed Hughes
The Rotarian

Loveland Rotarian Bruce Grauberger tells third graders that their dictionaries can help them pronounce words. Photo courtesy of Ed Hughes.

T hird graders get more than pages of words when the Rotary Club of Loveland, Colo., USA, gives them dictionaries, a project that’s been going on for the past eight years.

They also learn about Rotary and the definition of words like truth and beneficial. Loveland club member Ted Nutting, for example, told students at Carrie Martin Elementary about The Four-Way Test in November and asked if they knew the meaning of beneficial, the fourth criterion in the test. Not a single hand rose in response.

“Then look it up when you get your dictionary,” Nutting suggested.

“It means ‘helpful and favorable,’” Kimberly Dreyfuss told her classmates after she flipped through her new dictionary.

Loveland club member and project coordinator Lee Bashor says that since the effort started in 1998, the club has distributed 9,400 dictionaries to third graders in the Thompson School District. The money for the dictionaries comes mainly from an annual fundraiser.

9 Comments:

At 3:43PM on 2 November 2011, Beth Shriver wrote: Besides dictionaies there are other options. There is the picture book, Andy and Elmer's Apple Dumpling Adventure, which is based on the Four-Way Test. Perfect for grades 2-4. There is also a coloring book for this book. This book originated in the Fairborn Rotary Club (www.fairborn-rotary.us) There are also two comic book formats for older students. They are Amazing Stories of Polio and The Remarkable Mr. Harris and the Club that Changd the World. Access to these is through www.rotary.org/endpolio and rotary.org. All are very cost effective.

At 10:05AM on 21 July 2011, Past President Elaine Wilson wrote: We, too, would like to know where to purchase dictionaries for this project. Does anyone have a recommendation that is sanctioned by the Rotary?

At 10:05AM on 17 March 2011, Kim O'gara wrote: While distributing dictionaries, we were asked by a parent-why did Rotary pick dictionaries to distribute. We were unable to answer the question! Does anyone know the origination of the project with rotary?

At 1:03PM on 8 March 2011, Cleve Wright wrote: Besides dictionaries, do you also provide spellers for our Club to deliver to school children.

At 9:53AM on 5 February 2009, Larry Bennett wrote: We would like to do the dictionary project in our club. Where do we order them from?

At 11:55AM on 21 October 2008, Earl Connell wrote: who do we order the dictionaries from ? thank you, Earl

At 10:48AM on 23 July 2008, Katie Ross wrote: Our club has done this project for several years...both with English and Spanish Dictionaries. We order our dictionaries through www.dictionaryproject.org (there may be the word the in front of dictionary, I can't remember off the top of my head). The books themselves are very inexpensive (less than $1.50 each typically) and we order enough for two schools in our area. It is a great project to get the older members of our club involved in because it is not labor intensive. We add The Four Way Test on a sticker and at the bottom include compliments of San Antonio Rotary-Airport and the year. We go to each of the 3rd grade classrooms and deliver the books ourselves. One of the schools is an inner city school and to watch the children's faces light up when they find out that the dictionary is theirs to keep, not for the school is amazing! Enjoy this project you will get a lot out of making a difference in young lives!

At 4:05PM on 7 March 2008, Sylvia Donahoe wrote: Our club is planning on doing this project but we need more info. Where do you get the dictionaries, etc. We appreciate your help - tell me all about it. S Donahoe, Secretary Middlesboro Ky Rotary

At 5:06PM on 26 October 2007, PDG Doug Vincent wrote: This is a great 'hands-on' project for clubs to do in their community. The students really appreciate receiving their own books and members receive great satisfaction from participating with the students. In D7080 Canada, we've already gone through over 20,000 dictionaries and due to this quantity we were able to have custom covers with Rotary logo and 4 Way Test, plus Canadian spelling included in the dictionaries. Doug V.

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