diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..4c6d6db
--- /dev/null
+++ b/README.md
@@ -0,0 +1,183 @@
+# CCAR Alert Portal 🚨
+
+A lightweight, multi-threaded Desktop Alert Dispatching & Roster Management System built with Python and Tkinter. The **CCAR Alert Portal** is engineered for emergency communications, volunteer corps (e.g., ARES, RACES, SKYWARN), and operational teams needing immediate or scheduled mass dispatching across Email and SMS Gateways with real-time US English spell checking.
+
+---
+
+## 📋 Table of Contents
+- [Key Features](#-key-features)
+- [Architecture & Design](#-architecture--design)
+- [Prerequisites & Dependencies](#-prerequisites--dependencies)
+- [Installation & Quickstart](#-installation--quickstart)
+- [Configuration](#-configuration)
+- [Usage Guide](#-usage-guide)
+  - [1. Send Dispatch](#1-send-dispatch)
+  - [2. Manage Roster](#2-manage-roster)
+  - [3. SMTP Setup](#3-smtp-setup)
+- [US Spell Check System](#-us-spell-check-system)
+- [Google Contacts CSV Import](#-google-contacts-csv-import)
+- [Database Structure](#-database-structure)
+- [License](#-license)
+
+---
+
+## ✨ Key Features
+
+- **Multi-Channel Dispatching:** Send emergency messages simultaneously via standard SMTP Email and cellular SMS Gateways (e.g., `number@vtext.com`).
+- **Flexible Targeting Modes:**
+  - **Broadcast All:** Deploy alerts to the full active contact roster.
+  - **Group / Tag Filter:** Filter operators dynamically by operational tags (`ARES`, `RACES`, `SKYWARN`, `LEADER`, etc.).
+  - **Individual Operator:** Fast autocomplete search to message individual volunteers.
+- **Immediate & Scheduled Transmissions:**
+  - Send instantly or queue alerts for future dates and times.
+  - Interactive **Queue Manager** to inspect pending dispatches and cancel queued timers on demand.
+- **US English Spell Check & Radio Glossary:**
+  - Real-time debounced live-syntax underlining (red underline).
+  - Right-click contextual suggestions for misspelled words.
+  - Interactive modal dialog for batch spell check.
+  - Pre-loaded domain dictionary for amateur radio acronyms (`ARES`, `RACES`, `SKYWARN`, `callsign`, `repeater`, `simplex`, `VHF`, `UHF`, `QRZ`, etc.).
+- **Roster & Contact Management:**
+  - Add, edit, filter, and delete operators with fine-grained communication channel toggles (Email Ok / Text Ok).
+  - Bulk import contacts from standard Google Contacts CSV exports with automatic tag parsing.
+- **Zero Heavy Infrastructure:** Persistent local JSON storage (`contacts_db.json`) requiring no database servers.
+
+---
+
+## 🏗 Architecture & Design
+
+```
+ccar-alert-portal/
+├── dispatch.py          # Core application UI, threading, and SMTP engine
+├── contacts_db.json     # Local JSON database (auto-generated on first run)
+├── requirements.txt     # Python dependencies
+└── README.md            # Documentation
+```
+
+### Threading Model
+- **Non-blocking UI:** Immediate and scheduled alert transmissions run inside background worker threads (`threading.Timer` / `threading.Thread`) to keep the Tkinter event loop responsive during SMTP socket connections and batch transmissions.
+
+---
+
+## 📦 Prerequisites & Dependencies
+
+- **Python:** `3.8+` (with `tkinter` support enabled)
+- **Required Libraries:**
+  - [`pyspellchecker`](https://pypi.org/project/pyspellchecker/) (US English dictionary checking & suggestions)
+
+---
+
+## 🚀 Installation & Quickstart
+
+1. **Clone the repository:**
+   ```bash
+   git clone https://github.com/your-org/ccar-alert-portal.git
+   cd ccar-alert-portal
+   ```
+
+2. **Create a virtual environment (recommended):**
+   ```bash
+   python3 -m venv venv
+   source venv/bin/activate    # On Windows: venv\Scripts\activate
+   ```
+
+3. **Install dependencies:**
+   ```bash
+   pip install pyspellchecker
+   ```
+
+4. **Launch the application:**
+   ```bash
+   python dispatch.py
+   ```
+
+---
+
+## ⚙ Configuration
+
+Navigate to the **SMTP Setup** tab upon first launch to configure your outgoing mail server:
+
+| Field | Description | Example (Gmail) | Example (Custom SMTP) |
+| :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- |
+| **SMTP Server** | Outgoing mail server hostname | `smtp.gmail.com` | `mail.yourdomain.org` |
+| **Port** | SMTP Port (Supports STARTTLS & SSL) | `587` (TLS) or `465` (SSL) | `587` |
+| **Sender Email**| Authenticated account email address | `operator@gmail.com` | `dispatch@yourdomain.org` |
+| **App Password**| SMTP account password or App Password | `xxxx xxxx xxxx xxxx` | `SecretPassword123` |
+
+> **Note for Gmail Users:** Use an [App Password](https://myaccount.google.com/apppasswords) rather than your personal Google account password if 2-Factor Authentication is enabled.
+
+---
+
+## 📖 Usage Guide
+
+### 1. Send Dispatch
+1. **Choose Recipient Targeting Mode:**
+   - `All Roster Members`: Broadcast to entire roster.
+   - `By Group Tag Filter`: Select a specific active group (e.g. `SKYWARN`).
+   - `Individual Operator`: Search and select a single volunteer by callsign, name, or email.
+2. **Select Channels:** Toggle *Send via Email* and/or *Send via Text (SMS)*.
+3. **Set Transmission Timing:**
+   - Select `Send Immediately` or `Schedule Deployment` (provide `MM-DD-YY` and 24-hour `HH:MM`).
+4. **Draft Alert Message:** Type plain text or basic HTML tags (`<b>`, `<i>`, `<br>`).
+5. **Spell Check:** Check flagged words inline or click **Run Spell Check (US)**.
+6. **Transmit:** Click **TRANSMIT DISPATCH**.
+
+### 2. Manage Roster
+- **Search:** Instant filter search box by callsign, name, tag, or email address.
+- **Add / Edit:** Fill operator details on the right panel and click **Save / Update**.
+- **CSV Import:** Click **Import Google CSV** to import a contact list exported from Google Contacts.
+
+### 3. Queue Manager
+- View all pending scheduled transmissions.
+- Cancel scheduled dispatches before their timer expires.
+
+---
+
+## 🔍 US Spell Check System
+
+The alert system integrates `pyspellchecker` configured for American English:
+- **Debounced Live Inspection:** Highlights unrecognized words with a red underline as you type.
+- **Context Menu Integration:** Right-click directly on any underlined word to view quick correction suggestions and replace it with one click.
+- **Domain Lexicon:** Custom radio operator terms (`callsign`, `simplex`, `repeater`, `ARES`, `RACES`, etc.) are recognized by default and won't trigger false positives.
+
+---
+
+## 📥 Google Contacts CSV Import
+
+The built-in parser automatically normalizes Google Contacts fields:
+- **Callsign Extraction:** Recognizes callsigns stored in brackets (e.g. `John Doe [K1ABC]`) or in the Notes field.
+- **Group Mapping:** Extracts tags (`ARES`, `RACES`, `SKYWARN`, `LEADER`, `EC`) from Group Membership and Notes columns.
+- **SMS Gateway Synthesis:** Converts clean 10-digit phone numbers into SMS email gateways (defaults to `@vtext.com`).
+
+---
+
+## 🗄 Database Structure
+
+The local database is saved automatically as `contacts_db.json`:
+
+```json
+{
+  "smtp_settings": {
+    "server": "smtp.gmail.com",
+    "port": 587,
+    "email": "dispatch@example.com",
+    "password": "app-password-here"
+  },
+  "contacts": [
+    {
+      "callsign": "W1AW",
+      "name": "Hiram Percy Maxim",
+      "email": "w1aw@example.org",
+      "phone_gateway": "2035550199@vtext.com",
+      "tags": "ARES, LEADER",
+      "receive_email": true,
+      "receive_text": true
+    }
+  ]
+}
+```
+
+---
+
+## 📄 License
+
+Distributed under the **MIT License**. See `LICENSE` for details.