Over 12,709,737 children have received a dictionary thanks to the generosity of sponsors who have participated in the Dictionary Project. Sponsors provide a dictionary for the children in their community each year, so they can enjoy the benefits of a large vocabulary.

2,488,454 dictionaries were given to students in 2009 as a gift from people who live in their town.

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Larry O' Laughlin and a Dictionary Project in Nevada

In May 2009 Larry O'Laughlin received a call from Mary French, head of The Dictionary Project. She told Larry that approximately 21,000 third graders in Nevada did not receive a dictionary during the school year 2008-2009 and she would like to help by donating dictionaries to Nevada, if John and Tella Vore and Larry and Caroyle O`Laughlin would assist in this donation.

She furnished 8,016 dictionaries (free), and all the Vores and the O`Laughlins had to do was see that the dictionaries were given to third graders in schools not receiving dictionaries in 2008-2009.

The dictionaries were delivered to the Vores in Pahrump. The Vore garage was full. The Vores delivered 10 to 12 boxes of dictionaries to the O`Laughlins’ every time they came to town. The O`Laughlins then had 66 boxes of dictionaries (3,168 dictionaries) which required a label and a drug awareness bookmark.

Larry, being lazy, decided the best way to label the 3,168 dictionaries was to have a labeling party complete with a Menu. (Labeling so many dictionaries gets you a hot dog; so many more gets you a bun, etc.) On July 26, 2009, at 1:00 p.m. the Exalted Ruler Bill Bohnett and his wife Sue Ellen, Rodger Williams, PER, Tom Tucker, PER, Bob Carelli, Trustee, Wayne Leroy, PER & Trustee, Jeannette Thompson Tiler and her daughter Terri, Larry and Caroyle O`Laughlin and their daughter Julie showed up at the O`Laughlin home and put labels and drug awareness bookmarks in these dictionaries. The 3,168 dictionaries were labeled and filled with a bookmark in one hour and 30 minutes, including moving the boxes to the storage shed.

John and Tella Vore put labels and bookmarks in 75 boxes (3,600 dictionaries), working each evening while enjoying TV.

These dictionaries were given to third graders with the help of the following Lodges and individuals: Las Vegas Lodge, over 3,300; Red Rock Lodge, over 600; Henderson / Green Valley Lodge, over 600; John Kelleher, Esteemed Lecturing Knight, Las Vegas Lodge, over 600; Al Henry, PER Las Vegas Lodge, over 800; Larry O`Laughlin, over 500 dictionaries to third graders in Lund, Indian Springs, West Wendover, and Wells, NV. The remaining dictionaries were delivered to schools in Las Vegas by the Vores and the O`Laughlins.
The North Las Vegas Lodge # 2353 also paid for and delivered 3,825 dictionaries to 28 elementary schools in North Las Vegas and Nellis Air Force Base in 2008-2009 and sponsored 29 elementary schools in North Las Vegas and Nellis Air Force Base in 2009-2010.

We are proud to partner with Elks Lodges all over the country in their efforts to serve their communities and are excited that The Dictionary Project is featured as the cover article of the June 2010 Elks Magazine.

The Dictionary Project: Elks Give the Gift of Words
By: Aneeta Brown The Elks Magazine
Tuesday, June 01, 2010
Donor: The Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks in the U.S.A.

Nancy Mjelde, an active member of the Coeur d`Alene, Idaho, Lodge, has received hundreds and hundreds of thank-you letters from children over the past five years. But they`re not from her grandchil dren—she has none. They aren`t from nieces or nephews, either. In fact, with rare exceptions, Mjelde doesn`t personally know the children who write the letters. But they know Mjelde, and they have just one reason for contacting her—to say thank you for the dictionaries she and her lodge have given them as part of their participation in The Dictionary Project.

Founded in South Carolina in 1995, the Dictionary Project is a national nonprofit organization which has the goal of providing every third-grade student in the United States with a dictionary. By doing this, the project hopes `to have a positive impact on education in this country and em power children to become skillful communicators and resourceful learners.` The Dictionary Project invites organizations and individuals all across the country to become sponsors of the project in their communities and, in exchange for specific donation fees, provides dictionaries for distribution to third graders in schools chosen by the sponsors.

To read the entire article and view the pictures, please click here.

Letters from Children to Elks clubs

We always receive thank you letters from children who get their dictionaries courtesy of our donors. You will find a selection of these letters that were sent to Elks clubs below.

Dear Huntington Beach Elk's Club
thank you for the dictionary. We will use it on week days. You are very nice to everybody. I am proud of you people being nice. When I look at the dictionary I think of your club. I am proud of you giving us the dictionary. Thank you for those dictionaries Elk club. Sincerely, Brenedan, Tamura Elementary, Fountain Valley, CA

Dear Elks Club,
Thank you for the wonderful dictionaries. First, my class appreciates what you did. Thank you! Next, you really helped us a lot too. Most importantly we can now use them to help us learn to spell! Thank you! from, Taylor, Plavan Elementary, Fountain Valley, CA

Dear Elk Club,
Thank you so much for the beautiful dictionaries. The class would never know how to write that good without your dictionairys. I can spell really good now. your friend, Ivy, Plavan Elementary, Fountain Valley, CA

Dear Elks Clubs,
Thank you so much for the beatiful ditonary. It helps us spells words corectly. First, it was nice of you for giving us the dicinary.Helps us break words into syllables. Next, it tells you where words come from. Most importaly, the words can help us learn more. Thank you a lot. Your friend, Joseph, Tryed my best, Plavan Elementary, Fountain Valley, CA

Dear Elks Club,
Thank you so much for the beautiful dictionaries. First, it shows you how to spell words and teaches you the definitions. Next, I can use the great dictionaries to help me break words into syllables. Most importantly, these books will teach us new words and help us with our writing. Thank you very much. Your friend, Rachel, Plavan Elementary, Fountain Valley, CA

Dear Elks,
thank you for the dictionary. I am using it to wright this letter. I like have a dictionar. I use it to spell words in my work. Everone uses them. My mom said that it was nice of you to do that. Thank you. Your friend, Marissa, Perry Elementary, Huntington Beach, CA

Dear Elks,
Thank you so, so mutch for buying these dictionarys!! Now that we have them it's so mutch easier!! In third grade we use dictinary's alot! You are so, so nice. Sometimes I just have fun and look up words. Thank you so, so, so MUTCH!!! Sincerely, Mazu, Perry Elementary, Huntington Beach, CA

Mr. Boskovich,
We can't thank you enough for the generous gift you have bestowed upon the third grade students at Saint Simon and Jude. Our daughter has carried the dictionary with her since the day she received it. She sat with us three nights in a row, pouring through the pages, and told us that he never imagined a dictionary could be so much fun. Thanks again, Joe, Kathy and Meghan Dale, Huntington Beach, CA

Dear Huntington Beach Elks' Club,
Thank you for the student dictionary. I will use it to check how words are used in a sentence. Also, I will use it to check how words are spelled. I appreciate your generous donation to Eader Elementary School. We will remember your kindness. Sincerely, Pilar

Dear Huntington Beach Elks Club,
Thank you for the wonderful student dictionary. I will use it to find out how things are spelled and there meanings. Also I will use it to check if words have two meanings. We appreciate your generous donation to Eader Elementary. We will remember to use it everyday so we can become smarter. Sincerly, Sebastian

Dear Elks Loge, I am writing to thank you for those wondeful dictinarys you gave us. Im also thank you for using all your money just for us. Im really glad you gave me those dictionarys because they are really helping me spell my words correctly and that why it's right in front of me. I love the dictionary! Sincerely, Loyla, Ralph E. Howes School, Huntington Beach, CA

Dear Elks Club,
Thank you for the dictionaries. Therey'e really cool. I'm glad you gave them to use. Because know I now how to spell celebration. If you didin't give us them I woudn't know how to spell celebration. Thanks again! Sincerely, Carli

To read more letters from children, please visit the Letters from Children page.

The Dictionary Project and Participation Maps

If you would like to start a Dictionary Project Click Here

To find a list of Dictionary Projects in your state, choose from the list below:

The Dictionary Project is a 501(c) (3) nonprofit organization. The goal of this program is to assist all students in completing the school year as good writers, active readers and creative thinkers by providing students with their own personal dictionary. The dictionaries are a gift to each student to use at school and at home for years to come. The Dictionary Project gives 95 cents of every dollar donated toward the purchase of dictionaries.

Reading is the most important skill of all. It is the starting point for all the economic and social opportunities this world has to offer. Educators see third grade as the dividing line between learning to read and reading to learn. Every year we watch The Dictionary Project grow by expanding our pool of sponsors, so more children can enjoy the benefits of owning their own personal dictionary.

Our sponsors have made tireless efforts to improve literacy and the quality of life in their communities. These volunteers are the breath of life of The Dictionary Project. Through The Dictionary Project, people feel empowered to effect change and improve education so that the children will grow up better prepared to compete in the global economy.

In order to help our generous sponsors spread the benefits of The Dictionary Project throughout their communities and eventually cover the whole nation, we have made some improvements to our website. The Participation Maps pages now list not just the schools our sponsors have covered, but all of the public schools in each state. The list is colorcoded to show which schools have a current sponsor, a past sponsor but not yet current one, or no sponsor at all. Donors who are able to expand their projects or new prospective donors can reference these lists to see where their help may be needed. The schools are organized by school district, so sponsors would simply need to find out which school districts are in their area and then start searching the list. It is our hope that this feature will be useful and will inspire people to help us ‘fill in the gaps’!