Kiwanis Club of Alpena

Rocky Roland, President of the Kiwanis Club of Alpena, Michigan, sent us a note expressing his gratitude for the Dictionary Project. He shared with us that the club had provided a feedback survey for the teachers at the schools they visit, so that they could gauge the reaction to dictionary donations. In the survey, they asked if they should continue the project, or if there was another resource teachers would rather have their students receive. According to Roland, “The unanimous response was that we should continue the dictionary project.” Teachers expressed that these dictionaries may be the first or only books their students had ever owned, and that they enjoyed having the students use the books at school so they could have the benefit of learning how to use a reference book. Furthermore, students often remembered older siblings receiving their dictionaries, and were proud that it was their turn to get their own!

The Kiwanis Club of Alpena covers every school in Alpena Public School District, a project they have done since 2007. Over the past 12 years, the club has provided 4,128 students with dictionaries of their own.