ImageOn Monday, October 13th, Elmbrook Rotary Club members were at Trowbridge School in Milwaukee in what marked the start of the 5th year for the “Diane’s Dictionaries” program. For those who aren’t aware, the program is the work of Elmbrook Rotarian, Barry James, and his daughters April and Holly who created the program in memory of Barry’s wife Diane, after she passed away in 2009. The family established Diane’s Dictionaries – a legacy program to help students in Milwaukee by providing them with dictionaries to increase their vocabulary development and interest in reading.

 

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On Tuesday, October 14th the group was at St. Martini School and Capitol West Academy. In all, they handed out 94 dictionaries and are set to make additional presentations before the end of the month.

Channel Fox 6 News was also on hand on Tuesday and aired the story on their evening news. The following article appeared online at the Fox News site along with a video. Click here to watch the video.

Thanks to Barry and the other Rotarians who are involved in this program for making an impact in the lives of young students in Milwaukee.

MILWAUKEE (WITI) — Milwaukee elementary school students know him as “The Dictionary Man.” He helps to carry on his wife’s legacy while at the same time, helping sharpen students’ literacy.

On Tuesday, October 14th, students at Milwaukee’s Capitol West Academy were thrilled to receive their new dictionaries.

First-grader Khiya Hardin knows how to use it. “So I can build my vocabulary,” Hardin said. That’s the goal of an Elmbrook Rotary Club program called “Diane’s Dictionaries.” The program is responsible for donating pictionaries and dictionaries to first-graders and fourth-graders in an effort to improve literacy. “She was a great reader. Loved books. Loved reading,” Barry James said.

James was married to Diane. Diane died unexpectedly in 2009. After her death, her family helped to establish the “Diane’s Dictionaries” program at Capitol West, and it continues to grow.

“The warmness that I get is that these young people are really learning. And, of course, the dictionary is–you can span the world with it, so it gives me a good feeling, and it’s a legacy to my first wife,” James said.

 

 
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