Summer 2011 Author Pat Conroy to Speak at 2012 Love of Literacy Luncheon The Literacy Coalition is pleased to announce that Pat Conroy, deemed by many as one of the 10 greatest living American authors, will be the featured speaker at the March 30, 2012 Love of Literacy Luncheon! A New York Times reviewer commented, “Conroy remains a magician of the page. As a writer, he owns the South Carolina coast….” His writing is characterized by “descriptions of the tides and the palms, the confessions of love and loss, the memories evergreen set side by side with evocations of the annoyed heart….” In Conroy’s first book, The Water is Wide, he showed his concern for literacy and education as he On Thursday, October 6, the Literacy recounted his experiences teaching in a one-room schoolhouse on a Coalition will join the national Read remote island off the South Carolina shore. for the Record campaign to recognize the importance of early education by Conroy has written nine books with his most reading Llama Llama Red Pajama by successful, The Prince of Tides, being made Anna Dewdney to preschool children into a movie starring Barbara Streisand and throughout the county. This is part of a national effort to break a world Nick Nolte. His autobiographical work, The record for the most adults reading the Great Santini, was also made into a film as same book to the most children on the were two other books, The Lords of Discipline same day across the country. Last year and The Water is Wide. His most recent work, The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats was My Reading Life, is a book lover’s delight. read to more than 2 million children Conroy shows how reading may have saved nationally and to more than 2,000 in Palm Beach County. his life and his sanity. In this very moving account, Conroy shares with wisdom and Adults are encouraged to read the book honesty not only the pleasure of reading, but to their children and grandchildren and also to volunteer to read the also the power of books to shape a life. book at local child care centers. Each year public officials, members of civic Join with the Literacy Coalition on March 30 to hear this literary organizations and many corporate giant and literacy advocate. It will surely sell out early. For table partners volunteer to read. This year sponsorships or individual tickets, visit www.literacypbc.org. the Young Lawyers section of the Palm Beach County Bar Association will provide readers for the first time. To be Made possible by Platinum Sponsor a volunteer reader, e-mail [email protected]. EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE President Maggie Dickenson, U.S. Bank Mark Your Calendars Vice Presidents Lisa Koza, Northern Trust September 15 January 17–February 24 Joan Williams, Searcy Denney Scarola Barnhart & Great Grown-Up Spelling Bee Read Together Palm Beach County Shipley, P.A. Harriet Himmel Theater Voting Period Secretary Phil DiComo, Haile, Shaw & Pfaffenberger, P.A. CityPlace, West Palm Beach Treasurer 6 p.m. Robert Patterson, SunTrust February 25 Parliamentarian Loop the Lake for Literacy Susan Rabinowitz, Bank of America September 24 Lake Okeechobee Past Presidents Tutor Training Michael Bracci, Northern Trust Location: TBD Cycle for Literacy Around Jonathan E. Brookshire, Wells Fargo 9 a.m. - 4 p.m. March 12 Mark J. Burger, Cherry, Bekaert & Holland, L.L.P. Read Together Palm Beach County Cheryl Crowley, ImMEDIAcy Public Relations, Inc. Laura Deck Cunningham, Charlotte Pelton & Associates Press Conference Lake Okeechobee in 2012 Laurie L. Gildan, Greenberg Traurig, P.A. October 6 Bernadette O’Grady, WPTV NewsChannel 5 Read for the Record March 30 Dana Pickard, Edwards Angell Palmer & Dodge LLP Palm Beach Zoo Love of Literacy Luncheon The second annual Loop the All cyclists received medals and Kenneth G. Spillias, Lewis, Longman & Walker, P.A. West Palm Beach Founding President Kravis Center for the Performing Arts 10 a.m. - Noon Lake for Literacy will take t-shirts. Lisa Gray from Sunny Gale G. Howden 11:30 a.m. DIRECTORS place on Saturday, February Isles Beach won the trophy Mary Barrett, School District of Palm Beach County November 19 Edith C. Bush, Assault on Illiteracy 25, around Lake Okeechobee. for the highest individual Tutor Training March 30–April 30 Kristin Calder, Bethesda Hospital Foundation Read Together Palm Beach County Cyclists are encouraged to save fundraising effort. The Dream, Marta Casas-Celaya, Comcast Location: TBD Reading Period Liz Cayson, Health Care District of Palm Beach County 9 a.m. - 4 p.m. the date in order to participate Discover, Do It Team of the Nancy Currea, Four Points Media Group Bryan DeFrances, Credit Suisse in a unique cycling event where Palm Beach County Library David Fleisher, Lynn University Robert Friedman, Gunster nature, beauty and adventure System won the trophy for Robert Gingras, Palm Beach State College abound in the absence of the team with the highest Paula Henderson, Florida Power & Light Sharon Hill, Palm Beach County Library System vehicles! The event benefits fundraising team total. The Lynn Kalber, The Palm Beach Post Esther LaBovick, LaBovick Law Group the programs of the Literacy Spinners Team won the trophy Dean Lavallee, Park Avenue BBQ & Grille Celebrate Read for the Record Coalition of Palm Beach for the greatest number of Kathy Metzger, Florida Crystals Corporation Ken Montgomery, Barnabas Consulting Group, Inc. County. team members in the event. Geoff Neuhoff, Neuhoff Communications, Inc. Ike Powell III, Workforce Alliance, Inc. at the Palm Beach Zoo Lourdes Ramos, Starbucks Coffee International Kelly Starling, AT&T To highlight the Read for the Record campaign (see page 1), a public, The inaugural Loop the Lake Families from the Coalition’s Bettina Young, Community Volunteer for Literacy took place on April Glades Family Education CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER free event is planned for Thursday, October 6, from 10 a.m. - noon Darlene Kostrub at the Palm Beach Zoo, 1301 Summit Boulevard in West Palm Beach. 2 with 238 cyclists registered Program were on hand to ADVISORY PANEL Dr. Alina Alonso, Palm Beach County Health Department Local media celebrities, including Tania Rogers and John Favole from for the event. Thirty-eight cheer the cyclists as they Dr. Diane Alperin, Florida Atlantic University Stephen Ast, Boca Raton Resort & Club WPTV NewsChannel 5, will read books cyclists completed the full loop finished their rides. Dolly Perry Borman, Florida Department of Children and Families about animals and the children will be around the lake of 124 miles! Hand, Honorary Event Chair, Michael Bracci, Northern Trust Cheryl Budd, NCCI Holdings, Inc. able to see real llamas! More than 100 completed the presented a medal to each Laura Corry, South Florida Water Management District Max Davis, Member at Large Metric Century with others cyclist. Park Avenue BBQ and George Elmore, Member at Large Ron Mohl from Lakeshore Learning Dr. Dennis Gallon, Palm Beach State College riding the 25 and 50 km. Grille graciously donated Dennis Grady, Chamber of Commerce of the Palm Beaches Materials will be dressed in red pajamas Louise Grant, Mary & Robert Pew Public Education Fund Many participants described lunch for all the participants. Gale Howden, Founding President, Literacy Coalition of leading the children in fun, interactive Palm Beach County the event as one of the most Everyone had a wonderful Glenn Jergensen, Greater Boynton Beach llama activities! Chamber of Commerce enjoyable cycling experiences day as they experienced the Leanna Landsmann, Scripps Florida Mike Malone, Greater Delray Beach Chamber of they had ever had. beauty of Palm Beach County’s Commerce To register your child to attend the event Rocki Rockingham, Jarden Consumer Solutions western region. The Honorable Edward Rodgers, Circuit Court (Retired) at the zoo, please send an e-mail to Dr. Kevin Ross, Lynn University [email protected]. For further Emily Santos, IBM Tim Snow, The George Snow Scholarship Fund event details, call (800) 273-1030 or visit Shelley Vana, Board of County Commissioners Samantha Vassallo, Junior League of Boca Raton www.literacypbc.org. The Honorable Susan Whelchel, City of Boca Raton Plan to join us on February 25! Florida Literacy Coalition and ProLiteracy Member www.LoopTheLakeForLiteracy.org The Community Supports a Permanent Home for Literacy Imagine a central Visualize the impact of training for 20 home visitors Education, Training and Outreach of 1.8 million learn more about the Literacy Center, contact me location in Palm Beach who weekly go into 250 homes to teach verbal dollars from an anonymous donor, many individuals, personally or call Darlene Kostrub, Chief Executive County where volunteers interaction and engagement between parents foundations and businesses have stepped forward Officer of the Literacy Coalition, at (800) 273-1030. can learn how to tutor and children. Envision a book distribution facility to invest in the future of literacy in our community. Donations may be made online at adult students and that processes 74,000 new books a year that go to The Fortin Foundation of Florida gave an early gift of www.literacypbc.org or mailed to the where 40 young adult children and families that have few, if any, books $100,000 for the Literacy Center. George and Wilma Literacy Coalition. Literacy AmeriCorps in their homes. Imagine a new afterschool tutoring Elmore have also made a significant donation for members from 20 states program, staffed by community volunteers, for kids the building. Other generous gifts and pledges have Literacy is blooming in thousands of lives. will gather weekly for at-risk. come from the Asofsky Family Foundation, the Cox You are making it happen. Thank you! training to provide Foundation, FP&L, Laurie and Phillip Gildan, Sara Jo 68,000 hours of tutoring These pictures are no longer just dreams.