Join us when you either buy some dictionaries and/or come help us get the books in the hands of the students.

Among the many good reasons to ensure our children learn to read are some statistics that show that two thirds of students who cannot read “proficiently” by the end of fourth grade may end up in jail or on welfare. Rotary clubs throughout the country have made a commitment to promote literacy by providing dictionaries to grade three students in their school districts. Our club in Akron is no different. This year for the first time, the Rotary Club of Akron has set an objective to provide a dictionary to each of the 2,200 grade three students in the Akron Public School system. We are fortunate to be partnered with ACES, an organization of faculty and education students from the University of Akron. They add great strength and commitment to the project. Our goal is to raise $4,500 to $5,000 for the project. $1,600 has been raised so far with another $500 pledged. We plan to start buying and distributing dictionaries very soon, using funds already received, as a means to drum up publicity and more money.

Won’t you join us? Get involved. Sponsor a dictionary at $2 each. Or find a corporate sponsor that wants to underwrite a whole school building for $500-$1,000. But we don’t just want your money. Come with us and help distribute these important literacy tools to the schools.

Get involved now, here in Akron! Make a difference now, here in Akron!

For more info or to make donation contact the Akron Dictionary Czar Graham Reinke at cmandgar@yahoo.com or call 330-867-0238.