Rotary gifts dictionaries to third graders on Maui

Kīhei Rotarians mark 25 years of providing dictionaries to students on Maui.

The program was started in 1999 by Rotarian, Dr. John R. “Dick” Moore and his wife Marilyn as a way to celebrate their 53rd wedding anniversary. At the time, the two envisioned giving every third grader in Kīhei their very own dictionary to keep at no cost to the students or the schools.

Three years after its launch, Rotary District 5000, made up the 53 Rotary clubs in Hawaiʻi, adopted the dictionary project statewide. Today, Rotary clubs in Hawaiʻi give out thousands of dictionaries to third graders each year.

As part of the program, Rotarians visit schools and present a lesson to students on how to use their dictionary. The lesson also includes a brief explanation about Rotary and how it serves their community as well as people around the world. At the end of the lesson, students are encouraged to learn a new word each day.

“It’s a true joy for Kīhei Rotarians when they visit schools to distribute dictionaries,” according to the organization. “Their enthusiasm to learn is amazing.”