un·ex·pect·ed /ənəkˈspektəd/, adjective: not likely to occur; unforeseen. “Nearly all the best things that came to me in life have been , unplanned by me.” Carl Sandburg, 1978 – 1967 “If you do not expect the unexpected you will not find it, for it is not to be reached by search or trail.” Heraclitus, 535 BCE – 475 BCE example: Richard Hazen of the... Read More

Recognizing the importance of literacy, members of the Washington Township Rotary Club provide a personal dictionary to each third grader in Washington Township Public School District in Gloucester County, New Jersey. Members believe that when students are equipped with a dictionary as a life-long reference tool, they have the ability to improve their writing and reading comprehension skills. These improved skills promote overall academic... Read More

This year the Bullhead City Elks were able to furnish third grade students at three elementary schools with personal dictionaries. “Traveling to opposite ends of our serving area, we three Elks gave a comprehensive description for the book and encouraged each student to write us a thank-you note and to use a word from the dictionary in a sentence,” said Dictionary Chairman Terri Frear.... Read More

The mission of SOAR Adult and Family Literacy is to increase literacy by promoting and providing educational  resources for adults and families in the community. To accomplish this goal, SOAR currently participates in two youth programs: Put Your Nose In A Book (1st grade) and The Dictionary Project (3rd grade). Since 2009, SOAR and its dedicated volunteers have donated over 2000 dictionaries to third... Read More

deed /dēd/, noun: 1. an action that is performed intentionally or consciously “A thousand words will not leave so deep an impression as one deed.” Henrik Ibsen, 1828 – 1906 “Just as treasures are uncovered from the earth, so virtue appears from good deeds, and wisdom appears from a pure and peaceful mind. To walk safely through the maze of human life, one needs... Read More

pil·lar/ˈpilər/, noun: 1. a tall vertical structure of stone, wood, or metal, used as a support for a building, or used as an ornament or monument. “The carrying power of a bridge is not the average strength of the pillars, but the strength of the weakest pillar. I have always believed that you do not measure the health of a society by GNP but... Read More

1. adjective: following in accordance with what is just, good, or proper “The time is always right to do the right thing.” Martin Luther King Jr., 1929 – 1968 noun: 2. that which is morally correct, just, or honorable “We must use time wisely and forever realize that the time is always ripe to do right.” Nelson Mandela, 1918 – 2013 3. something to... Read More

fairy/ˈferē/, noun: an imaginary magical creature who has the form of a tiny human being tale/ tāl/, noun: a fictitious narrative or story, especially one that is imaginatively recounted fairy tale: a children’s story about magical and imaginary beings and lands “Happiness is like those palaces in fairy tales whose gates are guarded by dragons: we must fight in order to conquer it.” Alexandre... Read More