Kiwanis Club of Dearborn Outer Drive celebrates dictionary project

By: Jim Rugenski Dearborn Outer Drive Kiwanis newsletter
Sunday, May 30, 2010
Donor: Kiwanis Club of Dearborn Outer Drive

The Kiwanis Club of Dearborn Outer Drive has once again completed the project of giving a dictionary to each third grader in Dearborn. We invite you to read the special edition of their newsletter that documents this year`s project. (Click to read full story, then download the file to see the full newsletter.)

Rotary Club of Allegan gives third-graders dictionaries
Program in its third year
By: - Hometown Gazette
Saturday, April 10, 2010
Donor: Rotary Club of Allegan

Allegan Public Schools third-grade students re­ceived dictionaries in March from the Rotary Club of Allegan for the third consecutive year.

The project, spearheaded by Rotarian Dr. David Ohmart, is in­tended to promote literacy and a love of reading.

`Studies show that third grade is typically the point where stu­dents begin to shift from learning the mechanics of reading to reading for information and for pleasure,` school officials said.
...

Studley Grange completes 7th dictionary project

By: Tricia Eidsmoe e-mail
Thursday, February 25, 2010
Donor: Studley Grange # 1174

Studley Grange # 1174 of Midland , Michigan, has been giving dictionaries to the 3rd graders in the Bullock Creek School District for 7 years. We have given away almost 1,000 dictionaries during this time. Members Ted and Helen Mudd have been able to give a dictionary to all six of their grandchildren.

The Grange members feel this is a very worthwhile project. The teachers are very appreciative of receiving these dictionaries, and the students are excited about them and read them as books.
...

Southgate students receive reference books from Kiwanis Club

By: Mary Lou Wolfe e-mail communication
Thursday, February 04, 2010
Donor: Kiwanis Club of Southgate

Since 2007, the Kiwanis Club of Southgate had provided dictionaries and thesauruses to students in their community.

In December, all third grade students in the following Southgate schools received a dictionary: Allen, Chormann, Fordline, Grogan, North Pointe, Shelters, St. Pius Catholic, and Christ the King Lutheran.

All seventh grade students in the following Southgate schools received a thesaurus: Gerisch Middle School, St. Pius, and Christ the King Lutheran.

The 28th District Court recieved 48 dictionaries and 24 thesauruses for participants in the Drug Court Program.

I am attaching a few pictures from one...

Looking it up
Petoskey
By: G. Randall Goss Petoskey News-Review
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
Donor: Kiwanis Club of Petoskey
Category: Article

Since 2007, the Kiwanis Club of Southgate had provided dictionaries and thesauruses to students in their community.

In December, all third grade students in the following Southgate schools received a dictionary: Allen, Chormann, Fordline, Grogan, North Pointe, Shelters, St. Pius Catholic, and Christ the King Lutheran.

All seventh grade students in the following Southgate schools received a thesaurus: Gerisch Middle School, St. Pius, and Christ the King Lutheran.

The 28th District Court recieved 48 dictionaries and 24 thesauruses for participants in the Drug Court Program.

I am attaching a few pictures from one...

Group hands out dictionaries to Clawson third-grade students

By: Jeremy Carroll C and G News
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
Donor: Operation: Kid Equip

When Menachem Kniespeck, co-founder of the nonprofit group Operation: Kid Equip, calls school districts about giving them supplies, he often gets some hesitation on the other end of the line.

`You can hear they are waiting for some sales pitch,` he said. `But there`s no catch.`

Kniespeck, through donations from attendees at Motor City Connect`s Goals 2010 conference, is distributing dictionaries to every third-grader in Clawson Public Schools. He dropped off the dictionaries at Kenwood Elementary School on Jan. 22 and plans a similar drop-off at Schalm Elementary School on Jan. 29.

`These dictionaries are especially m...

Bloggers work to get more words into the hands of eager young people

By: Julianne Mattera The Oakland Press
Sunday, January 17, 2010
Donor: Operation: Kid Equip

In a well-worn dictionary that Jen Wright has regularly thumbed through since elementary school, words are circled and playful notes point to newfound terms, chronicling Wright`s path through the English language.

`Your reality is absolutely the words that you hear,` said Wright, a Royal Oak-based blogger who writes for lookingglasslane.com. `We craft our world through words, so to give a child that is a very powerful thing.`

Wright`s hope for Detroit, a city that`s no stranger to bad publicity, helped her connect with Erin Rose — a blogger from Ferndale and one-woman show behind PositiveDetroit.net, which highlights good thing...

Clinton Valley Kiwanis Club shares thank-you letter

By: Sharron Henderson letter
Thursday, January 07, 2010
Donor: Clinton Valley Kiwanis Club

The Clinton  Valley Kiwanis Club presented dictionaries to every third grader in the Clintondale and Fraser Public School Districts, ten schools in all. The attached letter was one of the many thank-you letters we received from the third graders and we felt it was so touching that it would be of interest to you and other Kiwanis groups.

Sincerely,

Sharron Henderson

Operation: Kid Equip Helps Address Crisis in Local School
Operation: Kid Equip is providing 1,500 new books to students at Daly Elementary School in Inkster (Westwood School District).
By: Operation: Kid Equip facebook page
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
Donor: Operation: Kid Equip

A chance meeting occurred two weeks ago at the Alternative Gift Fair at Hope Lutheran Church two weeks ago between Laura Hutten, a staff member at Daly Elementary School and the Co-Founders of Operation: Kid Equip.

Laura came across the Operation: Kid Equip display table and was instantly excited about their mission. She shared that due to a shortage of funds, Daly Elementary has been unable to open their library. Both Laura and Operation: Kid Equip realize that the children lack a major developmental and educational tool - the school library.

In assessing the needs of this particular school, we discovered at least 87% of Daly...

Power of words
Groups work together providing dictionaries to third graders
By: Jackie Smith Citizen Patriot
Friday, October 09, 2009
Donor: Jackson Northwest Kiwanis Club, John George Student Loan Foundation and Fraternal Order of Police Lo

The third graders at Queen of the Miraculous Medal School flipped through the pages of new dictionaries Friday.

The books were donated and funded collaboratively through the Jackson Northwest Kiwanis Club, John George Student Loan Foundation and Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 70.

Northwest Kiwanis member Stan Mazur said it`s part of an effort to get dictionaries into the hands of every third grader in Jackson County.

`I`m in hopes that all of you use these dictionaries. I still use it, and I`m 74 years old,` Mazur said to the third graders. `There`s still words in newspapers and magazines I don`t understand.`

...

Garden City Kiwanis gives third-graders book full of words

By: Sue Mason Observer
Sunday, October 04, 2009
Donor: Garden City Kiwanis Club

`I hope this is very useful to you,` Ken Hines told students at Memorial Elementary School. `This isn`t a very old book, even though it has a lot of old words in it.`

The book was a dictionary members of the Garden City Kiwanis Club are delivering to third-graders in public and parochial schools in Garden City.

Hines was the pitch man for the deliveries, as Kiwanis President Peg Burklow and several other club members handed out the books. He talked students through the books, pointing out pages on the 44 U.S. presidents, the 50 states, a table of weights and measures and international maps.

`Someday you`ll...

Mid-Michigan Kiwanis Clubs celebrate Lansing's 150th with dictionary parade float

By: Pat Korloch e-mail communication
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
Donor: Kiwanis Clubs of Mid-Michigan

The Kiwanis Clubs of Mid-Michigan participated in the Lansing 150 Parade, commemorating Lansing`s 150th Anniversary. The entry depicted the birth of Kiwanis with a 1915 Ford Model T and present-day Kiwanis with a representation of A Student`s Dictionary. The Dictionary Project is one that most Michigan District clubs support, and the mid-Michigan clubs distributed over 1,700 dictionaries this year.

Thank you for all that you do,
Pat Korloch
Kiwanis Club of South Lansing ...

Dearborn Outer Drive has completed our Dictionary Project!

By: Jim Rugenski DOD Kiwanis newsletter
Tuesday, May 05, 2009
Donor: Dearborn Outer Drive Kiwanis Club

Dearborn Outer Drive has completed our Dictionary Project! The students and teachers in these photos are from Roberto Clemente Elementary in Detroit, where we passed out 147 dictionaries to third grade students. We received thank you letters from every student! We also gave 47 books to the Phoenix Academy in Detroit, and 16 books to City Mission, a charter school in the Brightmore section of Detroit. The many fine teachers at these schools were very appreciative of this gift for their students, and did lessons plans with the students on how to use them properly.

Special thanks to Mary French of the Dictionary Project, and Bill and J...

Kiwanis Club of Mt. Pleasant donates dictionaries

By: Connie McCann The Morning Sun
Friday, April 24, 2009
Donor: Kiwanis Club of Mt. Pleasant

Minutes after receiving their new dictionaries from The Kiwanis Club of Mt. Pleasant, the third graders in Marge Sheppard`s room at Pullen School put them to good use looking up words like `volunteer,` `service` and `community.`

Sheppard`s class was one of 18 local third grade classes to receive complimentary junior dictionaries from the Kiwanis Club. In all, over 400 dictionaries were distributed at eight local schools.

The distribution of dictionaries in the Mt. Pleasant area is part of a nationwide program called The Dictionary Project. This is the first year the local Kiwanis Club has joined in The Dictionary Project, and P...

Kiwanis Club of Jackson Northwest helps cover whole county

By: Robert Frank letter
Friday, April 03, 2009
Donor: Kiwanis Club of Jackson Northwest

We are the Kiwanis Club of Jackson Northwest in Jackson, Michigan. We are one of three Kiwanis Clubs in the county that participate in the dictionary project. We give dictionaries to all the third grade students in all of the schools. I even call the Jackson County Intermediate School District to see if there are any home-schooled third graders that would like a dictionary.

There are thirty-one elementary schools in the county with about 2,100 third grade students. We include the public, private, charter, and parochial schools. To us, children are children. We don`t care which school they go to.

We get the dictionaries into t...

GFWC Menominee Woman's Club adds new schools to their dictionary project

By: Jane Stripling submitted photos
Thursday, April 02, 2009
Donor: GFWC Menominee Woman's Club

Recent pictures of happy teachers and students

More from Dearborn Outer Drive Kiwanis Club

By: Jim Rugenski DOD Kiwanis newsletter
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Donor: Dearborn Outer Drive Kiwanis Club

Seriously, these pictures tell the whole story. Jim Rugenski and Warren Hartley shared a lot of smiles, enthusiasm, and gratitude with these children and their teachers. We passed out 178 dictionaries at William Ford and Haigh Elementary Schools, and they all promised us that they would do a lot of reading this summer.

Lucky Dearborn students receive visit from DOD Kiwanis

By: Jim Rugenski Kiwanis Dearborn Outer Drive newsletter
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
Donor: Dearborn Outer Drive Kiwanis Club

That is Gary Veraghen you see behind the kids at Whitmore-Bolles Elementary School, where he and Jim Rugenski passed out 37 books to two classes. They went on to Howe Elementary, where a very smart bunch of third graders knew what a googol was. Do you? It`s in our book.

The dictionary we are giving out contains the U.S. Constitution, weights and measures, the Declaration of Independence, maps of the seven continents, information about the 50 states, Facts about countries including area comparatives, biographies of the U.S. Presidents, facts about the planets in the solar system, Braille, sign language, the world`s longest word, Engli...

Dearborn Outer Drive Kiwanis reach more students

By: Jim Rugenski Dearborn Outer Drive Kiwanis Newsletter
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
Donor: Dearborn Outer Drive Kiwanis Club / PTA

President Ted Bilan, Warren Hartley, and Pat Richardson are standing with Nowlin teacher Kathy Struk. We visited Nowlin, Lowrey, Long, and Snow Elementary Schools this past week, and passed out 287 books! Special thanks to Nowlin Elementary PTA for contributing to this project.

`You`ve got to do your own growing, no matter how tall your grandfather was.` --Irish saying

Dearborn Outer Drive Kiwanis continue Dictionary Project

By: Jim Rugenski Dearborn Outer Drive Kiwanis Newsletter
Tuesday, March 03, 2009
Donor: Dearborn Outer Drive Kiwanis / PTA

The Dictionary Committee has been busy! This past week we visited three elementary schools including River Oaks. The kids loved their new books, and they have very nice staff and teachers.

This is only one class of four 3rd grades at Henry Ford Elementary. Over 130 books handed out. Principal Kathy Kocher and teaching staff are doing a great job, and they have an excellent, strong PTA looking out for the kids.

Here we are in the home of the `Duvall Penguins`. There is a wonderful academic spirit in this school, from Principal Radewin Awada to his teachers and support staff.

Dearborn Outer Drive Kiwanis would like to...

Richmond area students receive gift of dictionaries from Shepherd Lincoln Mercury

By: - e-mail communication
Monday, February 23, 2009
Donor: Shepherd Lincoln Mercury

Jim Shepherd of Shepherd Lincoln Mercury has provided dictionaries for third graders in five elementary schools in the Richmond area. This is the 4th year of Shepherd Lincoln Mercury`s dictionary project.

Dearborn Outer Drive Kiwanis Dictionary Project
Special Thanks To Howard Elementary PTA, Who Donated $100.00 Toward Our Project
By: - Kiwanis Dearborn Outer Drive newsletter
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
Donor: Dearborn Outer Drive Kiwanis Club

Fifty million Americans cannot read or comprehend above the 8th grade level. Existing literacy programs reach less than 10% of these people. The U.S. has a dropout rate of 29% compared to 5% in Japan and 2% in Russia. Sixty percent of prison inmates are illiterate. Almost 50% of adults who receive welfare are illiterate. Almost 75% of those who are unemployed are illiterate. Children of unemployed parents are 5 times more likely to drop out of school. Something that you may never have heard but that is shocking is that at least one state predicts its need for jail cells based on third graders` reading ability! Why should that be? Through 3r...

Bee Whiz
Menominee sixth-grader wins geography, spelling contests
By: Donn Williams The Eagle Herald
Friday, February 06, 2009
Donor: GFWC Menominee Woman's Club

Winning the schoolwide geography bee was Michael`s first big accomplishment last month. Then he took first place in the sixth-grade spelling bee to do something few, if any, Blesch Intermediate School students have done before.

`It made me feel great,` said Michael, the son of Scott and Lorri of Menominee. `Making history in Menominee is incredible.`

Every January, Blesch Intermediate School holds its district geography and spelling bee competitions.

The geography bee in an open competition for the fourth-, fifth- and sixth-grade students. This year 120 of them signed up to participate.

`It sparks an interest ...

Local Rotary Clubs Donate Dictionaries to Midland Third Graders

By: Millie Jezior news release
Wednesday, January 07, 2009
Donor: Rotary Club of Midland Morning and the Midland Noon Rotary Club

Rotary International, the service organization known for eradicating polio worldwide, has taken on yet another major task, that of eradicating illiteracy throughout the world. Together, the Rotary Club of Midland Morning, along with the Midland Noon Rotary Club, once again joined to embrace the challenge on a local level by adopting a project known as the Dictionary Project.


The Dictionary Project is a 501(c) (3) nonprofit organization. The goal of the program is to assist all third grade students to complete the school year as good writers, active readers and creative thinkers by providing the students with their o...

Kiwanis Clubs bring dictionaries to enthusiastic students in Mason

By: James M. Day email communication
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
Donor: Kiwanis Club of Mason and Mason Golden K

We have completed our Kiwanis Dictionary Project for 2008. The two Mason Kiwanis clubs distributed dictionaries to 196 third grade students in the Mason school district. As before, the responses were enthusiastic from teachers, pupils, and administrators in the four schools that we visited.
We have received piles of letters back from the students thanking us for giving them their very own dictionary. Many youngsters told us how they were using their books and learning about different things in the books.
The Kiwanis effort in the Lansing, MI, area has been widespread. Most of the schools have received the dictionaries. The response ha...

Marine City Rotary gives students the gift of learning

By: Jeri Packer The Voice
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
Donor: Marine City Rotary Club

Using a dictionary has been a bit of a challenge for Marine City third-graders.
Not any more.
Thanks to the generosity of the Marine City Rotary Club, the students at Belle River, Palms, Washington, and Holy Cross elementary schools are now aptly prepared to look up definitions and spellings of the most difficult words.
The Rotary donated dictionaries through `The Dictionary Project,` just one of the many service projects they sponsor each year.
`The dictionaries, in addition to providing definitions and spelling of words, have a ton of fun and educational information providing education and fun that the kids will use for ...

Burr Oak Grange joins Sturgis Bank and Trust to give dictionaries to students

By: Robert and Peg Brown email communication
Thursday, November 13, 2008
Donor: Burr Oak Grange #1350

This is our picture for 2008. We sent an article to the surrounding
papers giving credit to the Burr Oak Grange and the Sturgis Bank and
Trust who purchased the dictionaries.
They furnish the money, and we get the enrollment from the county, print
bookplate labels, and write the students` names in the books.
The students are very excited to receive their very own dictionary, as
most likely a sibling has received one in a previous year.
Thank you for doing this wonderful project, and we hope to continue every
year. ...

Hometown Heroes: Kate and Joe Van Auken -Cass City

By: Allison Grant The Bay City Times
Saturday, November 08, 2008
Donor: Kate and Joe Van Auken

Kate and Joe Van Auken turned a Christmas gift for Joe`s parents in South Carolina into a tradition of their own in Cass City.

This Tuesday will mark the seventh year the couple has purchased and distributed dictionaries through their `Red Hawk Reference Project` to third-graders at Campbell Elementary School in Cass City.

The Van Aukens plan to spend Veteran`s Day talking to students in four third-grade classrooms about the importance of a dictionary and how to use it.

`The dictionary is one of the most basic tools,` said Kate Van Auken, 45. `Once you learn how to use it, you have a good asset for the future.`
<...

Mary French receives award at Kiwanis convention

Tuesday, October 21, 2008
Donor: Kiwanis International Foundation

Kiwanis International Tablet of Honor



Throughout the long history of Kiwanis International, since 1915, the dedication of its members has kept the goals and objects of our organization alive. In 1965, Kiwanis International Foundation established the Tablet of Honor as a way to recognize those who have `made a difference` in this world. These men and women unselfishly give of their time and talents to make a better community and a better world.



Today we celebrate the presentation of this Tablet of Honor to Mary French. This recognition was made possible by the Michigan District. A contribution ...

Students receive gift of words

By: CAROL SOUTH Traverse City Record-Eagle
Monday, October 06, 2008
Donor: Kiwanis Club of Traverse City

`We share our talents.`
Living their motto, derived from an American Indian saying, the Kiwanis Club of Traverse City is bestowing the gift of words to third-graders in the Grand Traverse region.

An estimated 1,200 dictionaries are being handed out by club volunteers to students at 20 area schools. Schools include the Traverse City Area Public Schools elementary schools and Montessori program, Woodland School, the Grand Traverse Academy, Immaculate Conception, Traverse Bay Christian, Montessori Children`s House and Kingsley Elementary School.

This is the second year the Kiwanis Club has handed out dictionaries to students...

Gull Lake Rotary donates dictionaries to third graders

By: Paul Gobble BattleCreekEnquirer.com
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
Donor: Gull Lake Area Rotary Club

The Gull Lake Area Rotary Club plans to distribute 230 dictionaries to third graders and their teachers in nine classrooms within the Gull Lake School District, Thursday, September 18. `The distribution is being made to promote one of the club`s literacy objectives,` says club president, Dean Beguhl.

Joan Split, project chairperson said, `Third grade is an ideal time to present these age appropriate dictionaries to our school children because it is when children transition from learning to read to reading to learn. This will give the teachers another tool with which to encourage students to expand their knowledge.`

A name pla...

Wyandotte Sunrise Kiwanis continue favorite project

Monday, August 25, 2008
Donor: Kiwanis Club of Wyandotte Sunrise

The 2007-08 school year was the Wyandotte Sunrise Kiwanis Club`s fourth year participating in the Dictionary Project. The first year they had such overwhelming success that they decided to make it a yearly endeavor. They donate to six local public elementary schools as well as the Catholic schools in their city.

This has become their favorite service project! The children (and teachers) love the dictionaries and use them in the classroom throughout the school year, even incorporating them into the lesson plans.
...

Kiwanis continue to expand project in Michigan

Thursday, July 10, 2008
Donor: Kiwanis Clubs of Michigan

The Dictionary Project wants to thank Kiwanis District Governor Bill Van Arsdalen and his wife Joan for all that they have done to promote and expand the project in Michigan.

Allegan Rotary Club Dictionary Project

Thursday, April 24, 2008
Donor: Allegan Rotary Club

How do you spell excitement? For Allegan 3rd graders, it is D-I-C-T-I-O-N-A-R-I-E-S....

The Allegan Rotary Club recently donated a dictionary to each 3rd grader in the district. Complete with a Rotary sticker in the front that included the Rotary 4-way test, the dictionaries were personalized with each child`s name written in calligraphy. The Allegan Club decided on the dictionary project to go along with National March Reading Month and Rotary International`s Literacy Month. According to Dr. David Ohmart, Allegan Rotarian who spearheaded the project, the students were very appreciative. Teachers reported that students even...

Mark my words

By: - newspaper
Sunday, February 17, 2008
Donor: Kiwanis Club of Wyandotte 1000

The Kiwanis Club of Wyandotte 1000 gave dictionaries to every third-grader in Lincoln Park public and private schools recently.  `Our club is doing this because there is no Kiwanis Club in the city, and we think every student needs to learn,` said club President George Lukawski.  Members of K-Kids, a service club of elementary school students under the umbrella of the club, who helped with the donations included Dallas Hopkins, Sydney Butkine, Rebecca Dajos and Molly Morisette, he said.

From A to Z

By: - Holt Community News
Wednesday, December 12, 2007
Donor: Kiwanis Club of Holt

Last week, the Holt Kiwanis Club distributed dictionaries to the 420 third-grade students in the Holt School District.  Through donations from the Holt Kiwanis Club, Kittsmiller RV, J&D Repair, Hayhoe Asphalt, Brower Hardware, and the Holt-Dimondale Agency, the dictionaries were sponsored through The Dictionary Project, a non-profit agency that provides student dictionaries to organizations to give to students.      

Oscoda Kiwanis Club

Friday, December 07, 2007
Donor: Oscoda Kiwanis Club of Oscoda, MI

2,500 students get the word in Warren
Rotary gives dictionaries to happy 3rd-graders
By: Kim North Shine, Free Press Staff Writer Detroit Free Press
Sunday, November 25, 2007
Donor: Warren Rotary Club

Listening outside the door of Judy Ramberger and Christine Seraphinoff`s third-grade classrooms at Washington Elementary School as few weeks ago, one might have thought it sounded like Christmas morning or that a birthday party was going on inside.

A step inside the classroom, however, revealed the source of the elated cheers and delighted gasps to be dictionaries.

`Wow!` `Yeah!` `I love big books.`

In addition to Washington, the dictionaries were delivered Nov. 6 to three other Warren elementary schools--Carlson, Kennedy and McKinley--as part of a community enrichment project being carried out by the Warren Rotary ...

Burr Oak Grange #1350
Burr Oak, Michigan
By: Robert Brown, Master
Thursday, November 08, 2007
Donor: Burr Oak Grange #1350

This is the fifth year that the Burr Oak Grange has given books to the 3^rd Graders in the Burr Oak School. It is the third year that the Sturgis Bank and Trust of Sturgis have provided Dictionaries for St. Joe County, and Burr Oak Grange has managed the distribution of the dictionaries to the various Granges in the County.

Kiwanis Club to give dictionaries to third graders

Monday, October 01, 2007
Donor: Indian River Kiwanis Club

The following article appeared in The Straitsland Resorter:

The Kiwanis Club of Indian River is in its second year of a new tradition. It will, once again, present each third grade student at Inland Lakes Elementary School, Wolverine Elementary School and Northern Michigan Christian School with a brand new student dictionary.

More than 1.8 million children have received dictionaries from volunteers who have participated in the Dictionary Project. Besides developing a larger vocabulary, the dictionaries are meant to assist all third graders in becoming good writers, active readers and creative thinkers. The dictionaries are...

A community that cares

By: Gayle Gennett Charlevoix Courier
Wednesday, September 26, 2007
Donor: Charlevoix Kiwanis, Builders and Aktion Clubs

On Sept. 18 the `Day of Caring` spearheaded by Harbor Industries in conjunction with the Charlevoix-Emmet United Way was met with huge success by many individuals.

Giving back to the community can and does make a difference as it influences students and adults to continue to be productive citizens for a strong, caring society. Caring for others is something we are taught as young children, and it`s sometimes lost during the struggles of teen years. A phrase that once had a negative connotation, `community service` has become part of our natural lingo to refer to getting involved out of care and not because the court ordered.
Click to read full story ...

Local Kiwanis Club donates dictionaries to area schools

Friday, April 06, 2007
Donor: Kiwanis Club of Battle Creek

The Kiwanis Club of Battle Creek recently sponsored the `Dictionary Project` by giving nearly 500 dictionaries to third-graders at Battle Creek Christian School and at several elementaries within Battle Creek Public Schools.
Post Elementary School received 48 of them and dictionaries also were given to 10 other BCPS elementary schools and Battle Creek Christian.

The goal of the program is to assist all third-grade students to complete the school year as good writers, active readers and creative thinkers by giving them their own personal dictionary.

Kiwanis members involved included Chuck Stallard, Greg Voeller, Dan Degn...

Their own words

By: RP Houghton Lake Resorter
Thursday, March 15, 2007
Donor: Mr. Tom Blastic

Tom Blastic, Roscommon, presents Roscommon Elementary School student Mary with one of the 96 dictionaries he donated for all the building`s third graders and teachers March 12.  The children were delighted when Principal JoEllen McNitt told them the dictionaries were theirs to keep and they could write their names in them.  Looking on are Blastic`s assistants, Fay Keeler and Denny Kiroff, who are members of the West Branch Kiwanis Club.  Blastic said he hopes to donate dictionaries to RES third graders every year.

Kiwanis fight illiteracy with dictionaries

By: Rick Reagan
Friday, March 09, 2007
Donor: Saginaw Northwest Kiwanis

The Saginaw Northwest Kiwanis of Saginaw Charter Township , Michigan presented dictionaries to Saginaw Township School District third grade students at Westdale, Plainfield and Weiss Elementary schools during the week of March 5, 2007 , as part of a Kiwanis statewide effort to help stomp out illiteracy.
...

Look it up: 3rd-graders get chance with free dictionaries

By: Lisa Carolin, News Staff Reporter The Ann Arbor News
Friday, March 02, 2007
Donor: Kiwanis Clubs of Michigan

Third-graders around the state of Michigan have the chance to be better spellers and have better vocabularies thanks to a gift from local Kiwanis clubs.

It`s called the Dictionary Project and more than 4.9 million children nationwide have received a dictionary. Brighton and Pinckney were among the local districts to benefit from the program. In the Brighton school district on Feb. 15, more than 600 third-graders received dictionaries that they can bring home with them and use as a resource at school.

`We had short assemblies at all of the elementary schools to learn about the Kiwanis Club and its role in the community,`` sa...

Western Ann Arbor Kiwanis enjoy repeat project

By: Russell Woinowsk
Wednesday, February 21, 2007
Donor: Kiwanis Club of Ann Arbor Western

It was a wonderful experience handing out the dictionary to the third graders.  This is our third time the Kiwanis Club of Ann Arbor Western has passed out dictionaries.

This year we gave 133 dictionaries to five third grade classes in two Ann Arbor, Michigan schools.

The Gift of Knowledge
Service above self `defined` in student project
By: Austen Smith, Editor The Belleville View
Thursday, January 25, 2007
Donor: Rotary Club of Belleville

Third and fourth graders throughout the Van Buren School District are now better equipped for studying as more than 1,100 students received their own dictionary courtesy of a program sponsored by the Belleville Rotary.
A massive undertaking was accomplished on Monday as Rotarians personally delivered the dictionaries to the seven elementary schools that service the Belleville, Van Buren and Sumpter areas.
The school distribution went as follows:

167 books to Tyler Elementary.


188 to Edgemont


198 to Savage


60 to Keystone Academy


181 to Haggerty


89 to El...

The Dictionary Project

By: Jane Stripling
Monday, January 22, 2007
Donor: Menominee Woman`s Club

Five years ago, a member of the GFWC (General Federation of Women`s Clubs) Menominee Woman`s Club brought to our attention the newly created Dictionary Project. Our Education Chairman and her Committee were delighted with the possibility of furnishing Student Dictionaries to all the third graders in our community and also in neighboring communities.

This year we included the DAR Boys` and Girls` Club and Rainbow House (a shelter for abused families) to whom we presented six dictionaries each. This will enable children to complete their homework each night with the aid of the dictionaries, which included such things as the Declarati...

Michigan group donates dictionaries to students in Zimbabwe

By: Rev. Gordon Schleicher
Tuesday, January 02, 2007
Donor: Kiwanis Club of St. Johns

One hundred twenty-six seventh graders of Hartzell Primary School in Mutare Zimbabwe were gifted with dictionaries donated by the Kiwanis Club of St. Johns as part of The Dictionary Project a nonprofit organization whose mission is to encourage children to learn new words so that they will be able to use the English language effectively. For these seventh graders from poor families the dictionaries represented the only book they could call their own or even had in their home. The dictionaries were delivered as part of an 18 day Volunteer in Mission trip to Zimbabwe where a team of 27 led by club president Reverend Gordon Schleicher. Team mem...

Dictionaries donated to Burr Oak third-grade students

Monday, November 20, 2006
Donor: Burr Oak Grange

Definitive Book

Monday, October 23, 2006
Donor: York Lodge #2788

Pictures of Passing Out Dictionaries

Tuesday, September 19, 2006
Donor: Shepherd Lincoln Mercury

Kiwanis donates dictionaries to Mason students

Sunday, April 09, 2006
Donor: Mason Kiwanis and Golden K Clubs, MI

MASON - Members of the Mason Kiwanis and the Kiwanis Golden K Clubs presented nearly 200 copies of children`s dictionaries to the third-grade students in the Mason elementary schools on March 21.

The dictionary project was funded by the two clubs as a new, ongoing facet of the Kiwanis motto `Serving the Children of the World.`

For many third-grad­ ers, receiving their own dictionary was a new and exciting experience. Upon receipt of the books, young­ sters immediately settled down to examine the many features besides the word definition and usage sec­ tion.
...

Local Students Get New Dictionaries

By: WLNS TV WLNS TV
Wednesday, March 08, 2006 17:45
Donor: Kiwanis Club of East Lansing Foundation, MI

The Kiwanis Club of East Lansing presented free dictionaries to third graders at Red Cedar Elementary. March is Reading Month, and to observe that, Kiwanis members are passing out reference material to every third and seventh grader in the East Lansing school district.
One member says it`s a great opportunity to provide students with essential resources. Red Cedar students were among the first to receive their free dictionaries in a special assembly.
...

Kiwanis of Lansing presents dictionaries to local third-graders

By: Judith Rozell
Friday, January 20, 2006
Donor: Kiwanis Club of Lansing

The Kiwanis Clubs of Lansing, Michigan joined together this DeCember and made a presentation to the Lansing School Board and the provided every third grader in the Lansing Public Schools, the academies, Christian, Parochial and charters, a Students Dictionary.

The distribution and presentations of 1600 dictionaries was coordinated by Arlene Kessler, President of the Golden K Club, Clarence Schmidt of the downtown Lansing Club ,Judith Rozell, President of the South Lansing Club along with Ann Blair, Education chair of the South Lansing Club.

The student and teachers were very grateful for the gift and the Kiwanis enjoyed ...

Oscada Kiwanis Club donates dictionaries to local third-graders

By: John D. Putnam
Wednesday, January 18, 2006
Donor: Oscada Kiwanis Club

Oscada Kiwanis Club donated dictionaries to third grade students at Richardson Elemetary School. This is the second year they have participated in the project. They look forward to next and feel very gratified in participating.

The Dictionary Project - 2005

By: Peggy Johnston
Friday, December 23, 2005
Donor: Burns Grange #160

Burns Grange entered their third year of presenting dictionaries to third grade students in 2005. The first year only two local school districts, beside the Michigan School for the Deaf were, done. Around 350 dictionaries were distributed that year. In 2004, six local schools districts along with the school for the deaf were done. With the help of another Grange in our county we were able to give all third grade students in the county a dictionary. Burns Grange gave out over 900 dictionaries that year. This year (2005) we accomplished all of the county again, Michigan School for the Deaf and a school district in an adjoining county givi...

The Dictionary Project

By: Linda Nishanian The Wyandotte Echo
Thursday, December 08, 2005
Donor: Wyandotte Kiwanis Club

Kiwanis is a global organization of vol­unteers dedicated to changing the world one child and one community at a time. This sums Kiwanis up in one sentence.

The Sunrise Kiwanis Club of Wyan­ dotte recently presented 385 dictionaries, one to every third grade student in Wyan­dotte schools, public and parochial. The purpose for giving the dictionaries is to assist the students to become better read­ers, writers and creative thinkers by hav­ ing their own personal reference. The dictionaries are a gift to each student for use in both school and at home.

A dictionary is an essential to...

Pupils gain gift of words via Kiwanis

By: Jim Kasuba The Sunday News-Herald
Sunday, December 04, 2005
Donor: Wyandotte Kiwanis Club

WYANDOTTE - A dict ionary is often the first and most powerful reference tool a child uses.

As children go through elementary school, their vocabulary grows by leaps and bounds. The trusty dic­ tionary stands at the ready to offer assurance that they`re using the proper word and spelling it correct­ ly.

But children need encoura gement to use a dictionary, and having their very own copy is one way to provide that incentive.

When Linda Nishanian, past president of the Wyandotte Sunrise Kiwanis Club, heard about The Dictionary Project, she knew i...

Granges, bank team up on dictionary project

By: Terry Katz
Tuesday, November 15, 2005
Donor: Sturgis Bank and Trust Co., Burr Oak Area Granges

BURR OAK- Nearly 900 third-graders in St. Joseph County will receive their own personalized dictionaries, thanks to several area grange organizations and Sturgis Bank and Trust Co.

The dictionaries are being distributed throughout the county by members of grange organizations in Burr Oak, White Pigeon, Sturgis, Colon , Leonidas, and Mendon.

The grange members are reaching out to home-schooled children.

Sturgis Bank and Trust bought the books. Pomona Grange which oversees the county granges took care of making the personal labels.

Kurt Inman, marketing director at Sturgis Bank and Trust, stopped by ...

Burr Oak Grange- photos

Thursday, October 27, 2005
Donor: Burr Oak Grange

Learning Tools
Rotarians give dictionaries to third-graders
By: Kevin Braciszesksi Ludington Daily News
Tuesday, October 11, 2005
Donor: Ludington Rotary Club, MI

SCOTTVILLE - Third-graders reached out for free dictionaries Tuesday, and quickly began leafing through the pages to glance at bolded words and their meanings.

Those books were handed to the Scottville Elementary School students by Ludington Rotary Club members Jim Riffle and Tom Lane, part of a club activity that again put free dictionaries in the hands of all of Mason County`s third-grade students.

`I liked getting a dictionary. It was fun,` said Douglas. `I like being able to spell words right.`

`This is my first one,` added Riley. `My brother has one and I use it sometimes. You don`t want to make misspelled words....

LOCAL NEWS BRIEF: Dictionaries presented

Monday, March 21, 2005
Donor: Addison Kiwanis Club

LOCAL NEWS BRIEFS

Addison

Dictionaries presented

Third-graders in the Wayne Gray Elementary School in Addison each received a dictionary Wednesday, courtesy of the Addison Kiwanis Club. At Monday night`s board of education meeting, Bev Surratt and Judy Naughton presented trustees with their own copies of the Student Dictionary, developed 10 years ago by Mary French in Charleston .


`We have 100 copies to hand out to the third-graders,` Surratt told the board.

`Next year is the first year that third-graders will take the English text as part of the MEAP test,` said Principal Judy Britsch. `Th...

Shepard Lincoln Mercury Donates Dictionaries

Saturday, January 01, 2005
Donor: Shepherd Lincoln Mercury

This past week Shepherd Lincoln Mercury in downtown Richmond donated dictionaries to all 3rd grade students attending Will Lee Elementary, St. Peter Lutheran School and St. Augustine School .

The Dictionary Project is national program designed to provide a dictionary for all third grade students. The idea of the program is to aid third-grade teachers in their goal to see all their students leave at the end of the year as good writers, active readers and creative thinkers.



Jim Shepherd, owner and president of Shepherd Lincoln Mercury, recently learned of this program and thought it would be a great project ...

Free Speech
Third graders get gift of words from Sturgis Grange
By: -
Wednesday, January 01, 2003
Donor: Sturgis Grange

The Sturgis Grange has supplied 255 third-grade students and each of their teachers in Sturgis Public Schools with a new paperback dictionary. `The Dictionary Project` will be in effect as a Grange project for at least the next three years. Next year`s third-graders will receive a new book, as will the third-graders in 2005. Children will be allowed to take their dictionaries home at the end of the school year.

The Dictionary Project began in South Carolina and is expanding nationwide. People involved in the project believe that a child can learn and expand vocabulary with help from a dictionary.

Pull-off, stick-on ...

Grand Rapids Public School 3rd Grade Dictionary Project

By: Peter Satterthwaite Press Release
Saturday, January 01, 2000
Donor: Golden K Kiwanis, North Kiwanis and Grand Valley State University Circle K Kiwanis

Three Kiwanis clubs of the Grand Rapids Area: Golden K Kiwanis, North Kiwanis and Grand Valley State University Circle K Kiwanis, will be making a presentation to the Grand Rapids School Board on April 16, 2007. President Robert Burns of Golden K Kiwanis, President Mike Koelzar of North Kiwanis , and President Rebecca Rickli of GVSU Circle K Club will be presenting 1,482 dictionaries for the third grade students, plus 93 for teachers.



The Golden K Kiwanis Club of Grand Rapids and Grand Rapids North Kiwanis Club have teamed together to raise the funds and will be providing every 3 rd grade student in the Gr...