The Dictionary Project Chairman Al Montano said this is the eleventh year the Orange Elks have participated in the Dictionary Project.
In that time, the lodge has handed out over 26,000 dictionaries. This huge undertaking is completely funded by the lodge with a budget of $8,000. This year the lodge received a $2,000 Gratitude Grant from the Elks National Foundation. The project is designed to give each student in the Orange Unified School District their own personal dictionary. This is a yearlong project. The Orange Elks Lodge collects denotations, checks with the school district for the number of third graders, orders the dictionaries, stamps them with the Orange Elks logo, insert a Drug Awareness book mark and then deliver them to the class rooms.
Also delivered with the dictionaries, were close to 2,000 Drug Awareness coloring books for all the first graders. They were provided by the Orange Emblem Club.
Twenty three lodge members and their children helped stamp the 2200 dictionaries and twenty six members went to twenty seven schools, 71 classrooms and handed a dictionary to each child. The Hotel Kids were also included.
Marilyn and Jerry prepare the delivery assignments
During a visit to the Villa Park Elementary School, 3rd grade teacher Mrs. Fujitani shared all of the dictionaries that her 3rd grade students have received from the Elks over the years. She has saved every one!
David and Linda with Ava and Bella at West Orange
Marilyn and Jay at California
The principal of Taft Mrs Connie Smith with Irene and Danny
