Through the efforts of the Rotary Club of Mansfield and it members who support the Dictionary Project, third grade students in schools across Richland County were gifted with dictionaries.
The Rotary Club met at Sun Graphics, located at 41 E. Longview Avenue, on Tuesday to sort, count, and pack hundreds of dictionaries to be gifted to third graders across Richland County. Diane Brown, owner of Sun Graphics and also a Rotary member said the members meet there because they had sufficient room for counting and sorting the books for distribution.
The members then set out to deliver the books to local schools. The project has been around for almost 20 years and providing the educational tools for third grade students.
“We love the kids, we love knowing we are doing something to help them,” said Brown.
“We are very active in helping our community in many different ways and continue to look for more. That’s why we joined Rotary and that’s our purpose,” said Dave Petska, Mansfield Rotary member and Head of School Literacy.
The Dictionary Project is a non-profit association that was formed in 1995 with the mission to assist all students in becoming good writers, active readers, creative thinkers, and resourceful learners by providing them with their own personal dictionary. The third grade level was specifically chosen for the project because educators believe the third grade is the dividing line between learning to read and reading to learn.
Petska said, ”We made a major step several years ago when we increased coverage from six schools to covering all of Richland County. We (Rotary Club) look for how we can help, how can we use our money to help. Literacy is very important. We love to help the children. The children love it, the teachers love it.”
According to Rotary treasurer David Crawford, this year the members spent a total of $1,500 and delivered 1,200 books to elementary schools across Richland County. “Sometimes we receive thank you letters from the kids, it’s so wonderful to read them. These books really mean a lot to them. Sometimes they say it’s the first book they’ve ever owned.”
Kattie Chance, a third grade teacher at Bellville Elementary School said, ”The kids look forward to this. They use them all the time. Their eyes just brighten up when the books arrive.”
“We are always searching for a way to help the schools,” said Petska. He also added that last year the club funded and built a butterfly garden for Prospect Elementary School in Mansfield. And that nine members volunteer their time regularly to tutor students there as well.
Other projects the members are active in funding include the Mansfield Memorial Homes Rotary Alzheimer’s Adult Daycare Unit, the Rotary MESA (Medical Equipment and Supplies Abroad) and the McGowan Courage Awards in the Spring and the Strive program. The club invites four seniors from six or seven high schools to have lunch. The students are introduced and recognized for their achievements.
Petska said the Rotary Club looks forward to continuing their vision to support the literacy of young students and to continue to serve their community in the best capacity possible.
”The kids look forward to this. They use them all the time. Their eyes just brighten up when the books arrive,” said Kattie Chance, a third grade teacher at Bellville Elementary School.
