What is in a book? That question could have as many possible answers as Kellogg’s has corn flakes.

The reason I say this is because the answer to this can vary from writer to writer, reader to reader and so on.

It can also depend on what a person looks to get out of the book. Is it for business, leisure or wanting to branch out of your comfort zone and try something different for a change of pace.

This past Friday, I was fortunate enough to join some other members of the Ironton Rotary Club in passing out dictionaries to third graders at two local elementary schools.

The dictionary project has been an annual event for the club for over two decades, and this endeavor provides a dictionary to every third grade student in Lawrence County.

Although this was my first time working on this project, I was overjoyed to see the genuine reactions on those children’s faces when they were handed those dictionaries. To see the happiness and excitement was something that honestly touched me.

To an adult, it may have seemed like something simple. But to those students, it was a big deal.

In many cases, when people think of a dictionary we simply think of a tool to look up a definition. This coupled with the advances in technology; many do not use hardcopy books like dictionaries anymore. Many things are looked up on the Internet and I am included in that group. But for students who may not have immediate access to a computer, this will be a huge benefit for students and teachers alike. This will be another tool and resource to use for a myriad of lessons in the classroom.

When leaving the second school, another thought came to mind that for some of those students, the dictionary provided to them may have been the first book of their own that some ever received.

While this was an Ironton Rotary Club project, it is important to remember all of the civic organizations within Lawrence County work very hard year in and year out to better our communities.

However, it does take support from our communities to continue these projects each year and help continue to make Lawrence County a special place to live.

That support can come from a variety of sources, as it doesn’t have to always be monetary. In many instances, volunteering time for an event or clean up day helps the same as giving money.

Ultimately, all too often in today’s society, we worry about things and allow it to bring us down. Being in a classroom Friday with the students was a good way to put things back into perspective.

 

Josh Morrison is the general manager at The Tribune. To reach him, call 740-532-1441 ext. 16 or by email at josh.morrison@irontontribune.com.