Culver City Lodge adopted this program in 2005. That year we donated 50 dictionaries to one school. this program has grown to cover 15 schools and about 1,100 dictionaries each year. Shortly after school starts the dictionaries will be distributed personally by Marilyn Marble and C. Michael Melton so the students can use them throughout the year. If you think that the dictionaries will just be dropped off, think again!! The test will start that day when the students may be asked to look up the word Benevolent. These students will actually find out that it means: expressing goodwill, desiring to help others and that's what the Elks are all about. The dictionaries are for the students to keep, many of these children have never had a book to call their own. A label has been placed in each dictionary, it has a place for the child to sign their name and that it was donated by the Elks. We will also be distributing drug awareness comic books and bookmarks to each of the students. During the first week of October, we will donate coloring books to four schools who are in high risk areas during National Red Ribbon week (better known as Drug Awareness). In addition to reaching these children and their parents, we hope to help excite them about learning. Hopefully, we can continue this project throughout the years and do our part to help correct illiteracy in the United States but we can not do it without your donations. Please make a donation today to help future 3rd graders.