Wausau Noon Optimist Club Donates Dictionaries to Wisconsin Third-Graders

Fran Bender along with fellow members of the Optimist Club of Wausau Noon recently completed their annual Dictionary Project after donating 708 dictionaries to public and private school students in Wausau, Wisconsin. Ms. Bender notes, “The Wausau Noon Optimist Club consists of approximately 130 members who have been providing dictionaries to the third graders of the Wausau public and private schools for the past ten years.” The Optimist Club has traditionally completed their dictionary distribution during American Education Week, which took place from November 18th to November 22nd of 2013. As indicated on the National Education Association’s website, its annual American Education Week “…presents all Americans with an opportunity to celebrate public education and honor individuals who are making a difference in ensuring every child receives a quality education” (www.nea.org). Members of the Optimist Club are certainly dedicated to promoting the quality of Wausau students’ educations as evidenced by their yearly efforts to provide each student with a dictionary of their very own. Fortunately, the Optimist Club’s commitment does not go unnoticed as both students and teachers show appreciation for the Club’s efforts. Ms. Bender notes; “This is a wonderful project. We have had nothing but positive feedback from the children and teachers.” A representative from the St. John Lutheran Church and School in Wausau expresses the school’s appreciation for the Optimist Club’s dictionary donation; “Thank you so much. God bless our friends for all they do.”