National Grange’s Words for thirds Program Laurel Point Grange #915 presented the third graders at Laurel Point Elementary with free copies of Webster’s Thesaurus for Students. The Grange is proud to support The Dictionary Project through its Words for Thirds program. Through the tireless efforts of the Grange’s network of more than 300,000 volunteers, America’s oldest rural and agricultural organization has presented third grade students across the nation with more than 100,000 dictionaries and thesauruses.

A thesaurus is a powerful reference tool introduced to children during their schooling years. Its usefulness goes beyond providing correct spelling, definitions, antonyms and synonyms. It is also a companion for solving problems that arise as children develop their reading, writing and creative thinking abilities.

"It is amazing to see the smiles on children’s faces when we present them with a Thesaurus," Thomas Kostelansky, Laurel Point Grange Master, said. "It gives them a sense of pride when they can look up words on their own. It promotes learning and helps mold their self-confidence and independence."

The National Grange headquartered in Washington D.C., partnered with The Dictionary Project, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, in 2002. The goal is to encourage children to use dictionaries and thesauruses so that they will be able to use the English language effectively. By providing these tools we assist teachers in helping the third graders to complete the school year with an expanded vocabulary.

Reading and writing is the most important skill of all. It is the starting point for all social and economical opportunities this world has to offer. Educators see third grade as the dividing line between learning to read and reading to learn. The Thesauruses are a gift to each student to use at school and at home for years to come.

If you go to the Dictionary Project website you will see the Grange mentioned as one of the sponsors. This project can be done by Grangers of all ages and is a great way to bring the Grange family together to work for a common cause. For more information about the Dictionary Project go to their website at www.dictionaryproject.org

Laurel Point Grange continues to meet on the 2nd and 4th Friday of each month at the Grange Hall in Parks Township or during the winter at local Restaurants. Members are currently selling Coupon Tab Booklets for $5. These booklets contain buy one get one free offers in the Leechburg, Apollo and Vandergrift areas. To purchase the new 2009 booklets call 724-568-1302. Information about the Grange can be found at www.pagrange.org and www.nationalgrange.org.