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ProjectsChristmas Cheer Toy GiveawayToy distribution was on December 13th at Mount Vernon Baptist Church. Special thanks to co-chairs Wiley Stockton, Jim Horney and Ed Thomas, and to all the other volunteers for all their hard work in making this event a success.
Dictionary Project Editors Note: I was not aware of the history of the Dictionary Project so I thought this may be of interest. More information can be found at www.dictionaryproject.org The idea for the Dictionary Project began in 1992 when Annie Plummer of Savannah, Georgia gave 50 dictionaries to children who attended a school close to her home. She didn't stop there. In her lifetime she raised the money to buy 17,000 dictionaries for children in Savannah, Georgia. Annie Plummer died December 23, 1999, but her dream did not die with her. She left an idea that has developed into The Dictionary Project, a nonprofit organization. Many people have implemented The Dictionary Project who have never heard of her. Since her death, over 7.8 million children have received dictionaries because thousands of people saw the same need in communities all over the United States. Arno French formed a 501 (c ) (3) nonprofit Association in 1995, along with a Board of Directors. Arno appointed his wife Mary as the director of the organization. The Board set a goal to provide dictionaries to all of the third grade students in South Carolina each year. In 1997, they expanded their mission to include all of the students in the United States. The purpose of The Dictionary Project is to provide dictionaries to students to keep to use as their own personal reference books. A dictionary is an essential tool for a quality education. Most children do not own a dictionary, nor do they have access to one in their home. This agency seeks to provide dictionaries to all of the children who are in school. The program is typically implemented in the third grade each year. The goal of the Dictionary Project is to improve the reading ability and comprehension of all children, everywhere. It is our goal to encourage children to use dictionaries so that they will be able to use the English language effectively. A student cannot do his or her best work without a dictionary. By providing this tool we assist teachers in making all students active readers, good writers and creative thinkers. The program has been adopted and refined by civic organizations all over the country. Groups such as Rotary Clubs, Kiwanis Clubs, Elks Lodges, Granges, Lions Clubs, The Republican Federation of Women and the TelecomPioneers have implemented The Dictionary Project where they live. Anyone can participate in this project by sponsoring a program to provide dictionaries to children in their community. The dictionaries are a gift for the children to keep.
Distributing dictionaries at Jamestown Elementary. Note the rapt attention on the kids faces... KIWAN I S C L U O F H I
In the News—Travis Burrell I Am Now helps teens who have aged out of the fostercare program Getting a driver's license, finishing school, finding a job or just finding a place to live can be challenges to those who age out of the foster-care system. With no one to turn to once they are 18 or older, they often find themselves homeless and without prospects for the future. Transitioning those former foster children who are now adults helps them adjust, get accustomed to life on their own and develop the skills they need to survive. Aging out of the foster-care system is a problem common for the young men and women who have grown up in the system. It's a problem Travis Burrell knows all to well after growing up in foster care. It wasn't until he saw a news program on television about foster care that he moved forward to found I Am Now. "I got saved on 12-6-06. I gave my life to God," he said. He wore many hats as an entrepreneur. He owned a beauty salon, a car detail service, sold cars and even worked as a club promoter, but a bad investment cost him everything he had three years ago. He said God spoke to his spirit as he watched a news program on foster care and the subsequent "60 Minutes" program that was about foster care as well. "That was confirmation for me," he said. The Crossroads house in High Point is set up to house from six to eight males ranging in ages from 18 to 23. The goal of the program is to provide counseling, mentoring and opportunities for the young men to complete their high school education, go on to college, find employment and secure permanent housing. "When we first started, we started on a transitional basis for males," Burrell said. Since the start of the program, it has grown to include a drop-in for Department of Social Services caseworkers to meet with their clients in a comfortable, informal setting. A 24-hour hot line has been established as well. A mentoring program also has been established that targets males and females ages 13 to 17 and a nonresident program that provides support to find affordable housing for teens who are either homeless or have aged out of foster care. Burrell says he would eventually like to establish a similar home for females. Varney, now 20, who moved into Crossroads last November at age 19, has gotten his driver's license, recently received his high school diploma through Brittain Academy in Thomasville as well as a culinary arts certificate, and will move out on his own in January. He said he also has a lead on a job and expects to hear about it in the near future. Another resident currently is attending Livingstone College in Salisbury. Beginning in 2009, Crossroads will house four males experiencing emergency situations where the length of stay is anywhere from 24 hours to six months. Burrell said that program will be an accelerated transitional program. KIWAN
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