Elks Provide Dictionaries, Promote Literacy

COBLESKILL – Exalted Ruler (President) Lance Rotolo and members of the  Cobleskill Elks Lodge #2040 visited Ryder Elementary recently to deliver paperback  dictionaries for the CRCS third-grade class. "The students are grateful and excited to  receive the dictionary," says Kathy Sweeney, vice president-elect of the Lodge. "For  many, this dictionary is the first book many students truly own and it contains additional  useful resources beyond a typical dictionary to assist them elsewhere in school."  

The Dictionary Project was founded in 1995 by Mary French of Charleston, SC. Its  primary focus is to promote literacy to children in the third-grade as they transition from  learning how to read to identify and use information. Over the lifetime of this program,  nearly 35 million third-grade students have received dictionaries, including over 1 million  dictionaries donated this school year.  

The Cobleskill Elks Lodge has participated in this program since 2010. Nationwide, Elks  have donated more than 1.2 million dictionaries as partners in The Dictionary Project's  mission over the last six years. Between Elks Lodges and Rotary Clubs, every third grade student in Schoharie County was provided their own dictionary through the  program this school year.  

For more information on The Dictionary Project, please visit dictionaryproject.org.