For $40, You Can Provide a Dictionary to a Third Grade Student in the Wabash Valley...Forever

The idea for The Dictionary Project began in 1992 when Annie Plummer gave 50 dictionaries to children who attended a Georgia school close to her home. She didn't stop there. In her lifetime she raised the money to buy 17,000 dictionaries for children. To date, The Dictionary Project has delivered more than 1.25 million dictionaries to 3rd grade students all over the United States.

The Wabash Valley Community Foundation brought The Dictionary Project to the Wabash Valley in 2004. Working in collaboration with local Rotary Clubs, we have delivered more than 6,000 dictionaries to local schools. Annually, the Community Foundation provides more than 2000 dictionaries-- 1425 in Vigo County, 360 in Clay County and 275 in Sullivan County.

Given that promoting literacy was one of the top six COMPASS II issues to concentrate on in our community, The Dictionary Project provides an excellent opportunity to provide our students and teachers with a tool to combat illiteracy.

How You Can Help

The Community Foundation seeks your support to endow The Dictionary Project forever in the Wabash Valley through the Wabash Valley Dictionary Project Endowment Fund

Wabash Valley Dictionary Project Endowment Fund

en-dow vb 1 : to provide with money for support 2 : to provide for something freely and naturally

en-dow-ment n 1 : the providing of a permanent fund for support 2 : the property derived from donations that are invested and provide income

Each $40 contribution will be endowed and will allow the Foundation to purchase one dictionary per year. The Community Foundation will invest the $40 and the income from that investment will ensure that a Wabash Valley third grade student will receive a dictionary...forever.

Americans often think of today's generation of children as too modern and too steeped in the electronic age to be interested in anything as old fashioned as a paper dictionary.

But, as any local Rotary club member will attest, passing out dictionaries in a classroom full of third graders generates excitement. Reading skills will never become obsolete. As long as we continue to add new words like "internet" and "synergy", dictionaries won't either.

[Download Pledge Form 952kb pdf]