The Rotary Club of Lakewood and Rocky River has continued to honor its commitment to literacy in Lakewood and Rocky River public and private schools this year by distributing dictionaries and other materials to students and classrooms. The club began the project in 2005.

This year, all third-grade students received a dictionary, and all fourth-grade students (last year’s third grade students), except for those attending Rocky River’s Kensington school, received a dictionary. For Kensington, the Rotary club provided funds for the schools to purchase chapter books for in-classroom use.

Harlan Radford, project chair, with assistance from fellow Rotarians, stamped each dictionary with the Rotary logo, Four-Way Test, and a place for the student’s name. The chapter books, once received by Kensington, will also be stamped.

The following Rotarians visited the schools for interaction with both students and teachers as the dictionaries were distributed: David Baas, John Chandler, Steve Clark, Matt Daugherty, Jon Fancher, George Frank, Thom Geist, Chuck Gustafson, Jim Harris, and John Zuercher. Former member and past project chair, Jay Rounds, also assisted with the deliveries.

Members were rewarded with smiles on the students’ faces as they receive their dictionaries and begin to explore the contents. Both students and teachers are very appreciative in receiving these dictionaries and utilize them in the curriculum.

Funding for the project was provided by the Lakewood-Rocky River Rotary Foundation.