Milford Elks Lodge donates dictionaries to elementary classroom

Ms. Hammel’s third grade class received free dictionaries from the Elks Lodge

On Friday, December 6, Milford Elks Lodge donated dictionaries to third grade classrooms at Mispillion Elementary School. Carmen Kemper, who led the event, explained that this was a way to encourage students to learn.

“We wanted to provide something that children could use as part of their studies throughout their school career,” Kemper said. “This is something they can take home with them and use through high school and on into college.”

Kemper, along with Elk members Joanne Milton and John Bechtold, visited Hayleigh Hammel’s classroom, giving each student their own dictionary.

The Dictionary Project was founded in 1995 with the goal to promote literacy to children in third grade as they transition from learning how to read to identify and use information. The Elks joined this project in 2004. Since 2003, more than 1,230 Elks Lodges have participated in the Dictionary Project and have given over four million dictionaries. This is a wonderful accomplishment and Milford Elks Lodge is proud to be a part of this program. This year, the lodge donated 480 dictionaries to our local Milford District 3^rd grade students.

“For those nay-sayers who don’t believe kids need a dictionary, constantly looking at the blue light from the screens can be hard on the eyes,” Kemper said. “According to WebMD, blue light from electronics is linked to problems such as blurry vision, eye strain, dry eye, macular degeneration, and cataracts. Some people may even have sleep issues.”

Research also indicates that physically holding a book helps the brain’s memory center be more active in what is considered “deep reading.” Using multiple senses such as touching, seeing, and even smelling makes the brain process information more effectively, which in turn increases retention and comprehension, Kemper explained.

“Another benefit of a physical dictionary is the lack of distractions that one may encounter online. For those who have trouble concentrating, things such as pop-up ads, links, social media, and e-mail notifications can easily keep a person from staying on task,” Kemper said. “Teachers in Milford School District say that placing an actual book, like a dictionary, into a child’s hands is very powerful—even in today’s electronic world.”

In addition, Kemper presented Hammel with a Spanish language dictionary with English translations.

“This will be very helpful for our students who speak English as a second language as well as those who are learning Spanish,” Hammel said. “We will make it available in our classroom for all students.

The children were grateful for the new dictionaries. One student told Bechtold that she was going to read the entire book and learn all the words.

“I am going to come back here at the end of the year and find out if you really did that,” Bechtold said. “It is always a good thing to read, especially the dictionary with all those new words.”

The Elks Lodge began in 1842 as the Jolly Corks, created by actor Charles Algernon Sidney Vivian. The group would meet on Sundays as everything was closed in New York due to Blue Laws. In order to fill the pantry with food, Vivian and his friends created a loose organization.

In 1867, one of their members died just before Christmas, leaving his wife and children in poverty. The Jolly Corks decided to add good fellowship to their mission which meant a more structured group. On February 16, 1868, they became the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks.

Membership grew and as members traveled around the country, requests came in for additional Elks locations. In order to accommodate these requests, the group reached out to the New York legislature and were issued a charter on March 10, 1871, creating New York Lodge No. 1 with each lodge added after that given a number. The Milford organization is Elks Lodge No. 2401.

Milford Elks Lodge is open to members Monday through Friday from 4 to 11 PM and on Saturday from 6 PM to midnight, although hours may change based on volunteer and staff coverage. A meeting schedule can be found on the lodge website.