Rotary members tell pupils how they help

JACKSON — Third-grade pupils at the Elms Elementary School are all smiles.

Not only did the youngsters recently find out that the longest word in the dictionary is “smiley” — because that word has a “mile” between the first and last letters — but the children also received their own dictionary to keep, compliments of the Jackson Rotary Club.

Past president Tom Barchie represented the club on Jan. 20 and distributed dictionaries in Susan Longo’s third-grade classroom. Barchie and the children then discussed what can be learned from a dictionary.

He suggested that the youngsters should read the dictionary and pick out a new word to learn each day.

“Each day, go into the dictionary and look up the meaning of a new word,” he said. “That’s the way you can learn, or just read one page a day and you can pick up a lot of information.”

Rotary Club members also visited Jay Miller’s third-grade class and other classrooms in the same grade.

Principal Dan Baginski praised the dictionary program and said, “The students really enjoy having their own dictionary, and hearing about what the Rotary Club does really gives them a sense of service to their local community.”

The club members explained to the children what they do to help people.

“We help people in this community and throughout the world,” Barchie told the children. “In Haiti, where the earthquake struck, a lot of people do not have homes. Their homes were destroyed.”

He said the Rotary Club is raising money for shelter box kits that provide supplies for 20 people and include a tent, utensils, water bottles and tablets to purify water.

Several children said they were collecting money and sending clothes to Haiti to help the people who have been impacted by the earthquake.

The Rotary Club also helps people in Jackson and in other communities around the world, Barchie said.

Barchie said there are four guidelines that members of Rotary Club ask themselves: Am I being truthful to those being helped? Am I being fair? Am I building good will and better friendship? and Am I doing things that are beneficial to all?

On April 17 at 7 p.m. the Rotary Club will present a concert at Jackson Memorial High School in which Wade Preston and the Movin’ Out band will be featured.

For more information, visit the website at www.JacksonRotaryClub.org.

— Dave Benjamin