Year 4 pupils receive a free dictionary

Year 4 pupils all smiles as they receive a free dictionary

Hundreds of South Canterbury Year Four pupils in primary schools across the district have each received a personalised illustrated dictionary courtesy of Rotary and the Community Trust of Mid and South Canterbury.

The five Rotary clubs in Area 1 and 2 of Rotary District 9980, the South Canterbury region, collaborated for the first time in a project that Rotary District Governor Lionel Wilson of Timaru described as a delightful and tangible way of helping to fulfil the Rotary International goal of literacy development of young people.

Eight hundred of the beautifully illustrated dictionaries were distributed over the last three weeks at special school assemblies by members of the five Rotary clubs.

Seven thousand illustrated dictionaries will be distributed to South Canterbury schoolchildren over the next five years at a cost to the Community Trust of Mid and South Canterbury of $30,000. A new shipment would be distributed each February for the next five years.

Dictionary project co-ordinator Marg (crrct) Cochrane, of the Rotary Club of Timaru, was pleased with the distribution process – a “massive task for us”.

“Watching the smiles on the children’s faces as we called them out individually to receive a dictionary personalised with their own name, a letter from Rotary and a small booklet explaining Rotary and its role with young people, was a very special experience,” she said.

Mr Wilson said the project came about after he saw the success of a similar community effort by Rotary clubs in Invercargill.

“I picked up the template and managed to convince the Community Trust of Mid and South Canterbury to underwrite the project for five years. We are so grateful to them for doing this,” Mr Wilson said.

Sorting and personalising of the dictionaries was undertaken by members of the five Rotary clubs in South Canterbury, the Rotary Club of Timaru South, the Rotary Club of Timaru, the Rotary Club of Timaru North, the Rotary Club of Temuka - Geraldine, and the Rotary Club of Waimate.

It was the first time all South Canterbury Rotary clubs had collaborated in one project.

Printed by Harper Collins New Zealand, the Usborne Illustrated Dictionary normally retails at $NZ29.95.

It was a personal gift to the students from Rotary.

ENDS

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