“Philanthropy… an act or gift done or made for humanitarian purposes: an active effort of goodwill.” Third-graders in the Vestal Central School District received a lesson in philanthropy from their friends at Vestal Elks Lodge 2508 - their very own dictionary! Continuing an annual tradition, representatives from the Vestal Elks handed out the dictionaries on Tuesday, October 24, 2023, at all five elementary schools.
Many thanks to the Elks representatives who participated in the dictionary distribution at Glenwood Elementary, John Prince, Deb Prince, Herb Swan, and Kathy Swan.
Since 2004, Vestal Elks Lodge 2508 has donated over 4,900 dictionaries to third-graders in Vestal Schools! We are incredibly grateful for their support of our students and appreciate this annual gift that provides a wonderful tool for enhancing their literacy skills. Having access to a dictionary helps students build their vocabulary, and having an extensive vocabulary is an important factor in academic success.
The Elks work in conjunction with The Dictionary Project, a nonprofit organization, to assist all students in completing the school year as good writers, active readers and creative thinkers. Thanks to civic organizations all over the country, such as Vestal Elks Lodge 2508, millions of children have received their very own dictionaries. According to The Dictionary Project website (www.dictionaryproject.org), educators see third grade as the dividing line between learning to read and reading to learn. This is why sponsoring organizations are encouraged to give the dictionaries to students in the third grade.