WARREN Word up: Rotary buys dictionaries

By AMANDA C. DAVIS
VINDICATOR TRUMBULL STAFF
WARREN -- The Rotary Club is doing its part to promote literacy.
The organization is undertaking a new project that uses funds to buy dictionaries for all third-grade pupils in the city school district and possibly other schools.
Rotary president Barbara Didion said dictionaries will be presented this week to 11 elementary schools in Warren. The group will work in coming years to get dictionaries to pupils in other grades and schools, she said.
Helping out: Rotary holds fund-raisers throughout the year to benefit the community.
The organization is sponsoring a pancake breakfast from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Sunday at Harding High School cafetera to benefit the school. In the past, funds have gone toward buying computers and other learning tools. Children age 3 and under eat free. The cost for everyone else is $4.
Friday, a murder-mystery dinner will take place at Leo's Restaurant, East Market Street, Howland. Tickets are $30. Proceeds go toward Rotary's charitable accounts that are divided up among worthwhile projects. For more information, call Christina Farr, (330) 392-7171.
The group: In the past, Rotary contributed about $5,000 to a literacy project undertaken by the nonprofit Trumbull 100, which helped build, refurbish and stock the libraries in some Warren schools.
A grant from Rotary International helped the local club donate $1,000 to the Harding library to buy books for pupils who have difficulty reading.
Robert Angelo, a school board member, said Rotary is always supportive of Warren schools.
Though the dictionary program is not one of the bigger donations the district receives, in terms of cost, Angelo said, its academic impact is important.
"It truly is a nice gesture and something the kids really get excited about," he said.