Gary Plough, Cary-Apex Elks Lodge # 2798, Atlantic Beach, NC

Cutbacks in spending at all levels of government place more burden and costs on parents and teachers to supply educational needs to children of all ages. Our Lodge participation started just this year, and, hopefully, it will continue next year. Having a personal dictionary for use by each student at school and at home will enable them to learn how to use the dictionary and learn the spelling of words without having to depend on a computer, which may not always be readily available, especially to families with less fortunate circumstances. Having a dictionary provides a good way to build vocabulary and helps with pronunciation and usage of words too.