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The Dictionary Project - Description |
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Rotary-labeled dictionaries are now in 30,000 households throughout Northern California. In the largest project ever conceived by the Clubs of District 5160, Rotarians have personally presented Rotary-labeled, hardbound dictionaries to every 3rd grader in the District - a dramatic, practical and highly-publicized gift from today's leaders to a new generation! By delivering close to one-half million dollars worth of high-quality dictionaries to third grade students, Rotarians have underscored Rotary's emphasis on literacy and forged a long-term link with 30,000 households in Northern California.
Conference
The Literacy Project was conceived as the focus of the District Conference - so Rotarians would not just talk about Rotary, but would do something together...something that would also demonstrate the power of Rotary at work in their communities throughout the District.
At the May 1998 District Conference, amid fanfare and press coverage, and as part of a festive, fun and action-packed day, three semi-trailers arrived with almost 30,000 dictionaries. Seven hundred Rotarians and friends from the 63 clubs worked to affix District and local club labels to all books, identifying the dictionaries as a Rotary project from the local Rotary Club. They also inserted a letter to the parents, on local club stationary, outlining the local club's contributions to the community. According to District Governor George Chaffey, the participants' most common comment was how much they enjoyed having Rotarians from other clubs help them, and in turn, being able to help other clubs finish their books: "There was an intense feeling of helping one another that made this experience special."
Presentation To Children
As the Conference ended, Rotarians returned to their local communities to personally deliver the dictionaries to all 3rd graders - in private as well as public schools. Rotarians discussed Rotary, "service" and other concepts. Most children did not know what Rotary was - "a place where they ride cows" (rodeo?), or "the company that fixes drains" (Roto Rooter?). Some thought a Rotarian was "the thing you clean the shower with." That all changed after the Rotarians' presentations and after the students realized that the dictionaries were to be their very own books - to use and to keep. Later student responses revealed that a Rotarian is "a really nice person," and someone who "has a lot of stuff to do and it is good stuff." Many students asked Rotarians to autograph "their" book. Some students signed each other's books, yearbook-style. Over 10,000 thank you notes poured in from students, teachers and parents. One student exclaimed, "I'm going to keep this all my life and then give it to my grandchildren." Another student wrote, "I'll always think of your club when I see my book."
District Governor Chaffey observed: "The clubs came up with this stunning idea, which is part of Rotary's world-wide focus on literacy, and it brings us together in the largest project ever conceived in our District. Yet, it is the most personal of projects because individual Rotarians have been in the classrooms, meeting individual children, and have been personally touched by that encounter."
Although it is too soon to know the long range impact of this Project, it seems clear that Rotary will increasingly be associated with dictionaries, reading, education and students. That image of Rotary will be reinforced each time a dictionary is opened and used over the next several decades. One Berkeley Rotarian reflected, "30 years from now, as a young women commutes into our community, every time she sees the Rotary wheel at the edge of town, she will remember the face of the Rotarian who gave her that very special dictionary way back in 1998."
Post Script...
In 1999, one-third of the District 5160 clubs continued this as an annual project in their local areas — presenting over 8,000 dictionaries to students. Since its inception in District 5160, the Literacy Project has been adopted by Rotarians and clubs across the country, from Hawaii to New York.
