Antioch Rotary Club donates, delivers dictionaries to all third graders in Antioch public schools

Antioch Rotarian Jeff Warrenburg delivers dictionaries to third-graders at John Muir Elementary in November.

Antioch Rotarian Jeff Warrenburg looks on as third-grade students  at John Muir Elementary read from their new dictionaries.

A vital part of the Antioch community since 1947, the Antioch Rotary Club, a non-profit service organization, has a reputation for excellence in community projects, from its free dictionaries for third-graders to providing scholarships to local high school students.  Antioch Rotarians feel that literacy is an important factor in being a successful adult.

The Antioch Rotary Club continues to help children in our local community by providing dictionaries to third-graders as one of their annual, service projects.  The mission was accomplished, recently when Rotarians from the club, personally delivered hardbound dictionaries to every third grader in the Antioch Unified School District.   Many Antioch children do not own a personal dictionary and some do not have access to one in their home.

“In Antioch, nearly 70% of our third graders receive free or reduced lunch and may not have the resources to have access to their own dictionary or the internet,” said Antioch Rotary Club President Milanka Schneiderman. “The Antioch Rotary Club wants to reach out to the third-grade children and give them an additional learning tool. Plus, the importance of the English language acquisition cannot be overstated as nearly 18% of our students speak a language other than English, as their first language.”

The Dictionary Project also known as READ – Rotary’s Empowerment of Antioch through Dictionaries – encourages children to use dictionaries so that they will be able to use the English language effectively during their school years and lifetime.  Besides its own funds, Antioch Rotary Club received a $7,000 grant from District 5 Supervisor Federal Glover’s Keller Canyon Mitigation Fund, a $1,000 grant from Pacific Gas & Electric, and an $800 grant from Higgins Mortuary for the READ Program.

“These sponsors of the READ project greatly help us make a difference in Antioch,” Schneiderman shared. “We really appreciate their support in the Antioch community.”

The remaining funds for the project were raised through the Antioch Rotary Club’s annual golf tournament and its sponsors.

“We greatly appreciate the community support for our golf tournament,” she added. “These sponsors, along with Rotarians make our scholarships and community projects possible.”

Next year, the 23rd Annual Golf Tournament will be held on May 5th, 2017 at the Lone Tree Golf Course & Event Center.

The Antioch Rotary Club was chartered in February, 1947. Their regular meeting days are Thursdays at 12:15 p.m. at the Lone Tree Golf & Event Center. Contact Lindy Maynes-Kolthoff, Club Secretary for more information: lindym2009@live.com.


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