About
Mission Statement
The goal of this program is to assist all students in becoming good writers, active readers, creative thinkers, and resourceful learners by providing them with their own personal dictionary. The dictionaries are a gift to each student to use at school and at home for years to come. Educators see third grade as the dividing line between learning to read and reading to learn, so we encourage our sponsors to give dictionaries each year to children in the third grade.
Our History
1995 - The Beginning
The Dictionary Project was founded by Annie Plummer in Savannah, Georgia, with a simple yet powerful vision: to put dictionaries in the hands of every third-grade student in America.
2000 - National Expansion
What started as a local initiative quickly grew into a national movement. By 2000, we had distributed over 100,000 dictionaries across multiple states.
2010 - One Million Milestone
We celebrated distributing our one millionth dictionary, marking a significant milestone in our mission to improve literacy nationwide.
Today - 30+ Million Served
Today, The Dictionary Project has distributed over 30 million dictionaries to students across the United States, making literacy accessible to generations of learners.
Our Staff
Mary French
With over 40 years of experience spanning administration, bookkeeping, human resources, and marketing coordination Carrie joins The Dictionary Project team, helping coordinate donations, manage communications with sponsors, and ensure that every pledge turns into a book in a student’s hands. She is passionate about literacy and believes that a dictionary is more than a reference book — it’s a key to opportunity and lifelong learning. Through her dedication and personal connection with donors and community partners, Carrie helps sustain the project’s mission of giving every child the power of words.