Second Annual Literacy Heroes Breakfast Recognizes Hometown Heroes
Seven Local Residents to Be Honored at Longwood Gardens on April 20

April 20, 2007: Chadds Ford, PA. For the second year in a row, the ballroom at Longwood Gardens was filled to capacity as more than 200 guests gathered to attend the Second Annual Literacy Heroes Breakfast. This uplifting event honored seven local heroes who worked tirelessly to champion the cause of literacy within the past year. The breakfast was co-presented by West Chester Public Library and Verizon.

Karen Rogers, Morning News Anchor for 6abc Action News, served as the event’s Master of Ceremonies, and spoke to the crowded ballroom about the power and impact that literacy heroes have in our community each and every day. Nearly seventy entries were submitted in response to a community-wide call for nominations held this past winter.

When asked about why he agreed to participate in the Heroes Breakfast, Honorary Chairman John Featherman, Chairman and CEO of First National Bank of Chester County, commented, “It is an honor to hold this prestigious post and to be in the company of so many exceptional local residents who are working hard to help others in their quest to read and write. Their actions are motivational and exemplify the impact each and every one of us can have in our community on a daily basis.”

Independent review panels from the seven category sponsor companies had the difficult task of reviewing nominations submitted in their chosen category, and selecting the name of only one nominee for recognition during the breakfast.

WCPL Board President Howard Sundwall commented, “Even though our corporate sponsors could select only one recipient per category, we wanted to make certain that all nominees felt like winners and received recognition. As such, everyone who was nominated was invited to attend the breakfast, and asked to stand for a round of applause. Additionally, we’ve listed all nominees in our event program book – we view every one of these exceptional individuals as literacy heroes and wish we had time to recognize each and every one of them.”

Literacy hero awards were presented to the following individuals/companies for their actions during 2006 to promote reading and writing:

Adult Literacy Hero (Sponsored by First National Bank of Chester County)
Patricia Verbovszky

Community Impact Hero (Sponsored by The Chester County Hospital)
Sister Rosemary DePaul IHM and The St. Agnes Parish

Corporate Good Neighbor Hero (Sponsored by CTDI)
Citadel

Education Hero (Sponsored by The Hankin Group)
William Keeney

Local Author Hero (Sponsored by Reinos Print and Copy Center)
Jen Bryant

Medical/Health Literacy Hero (Sponsored by Endo Pharmaceuticals)
Milena Lanz

Youth Literacy Hero (Sponsored by Verizon)
Chelsea Hanse

William B. Petersen, President of Verizon – PA, commented, “I want to thank the West Chester Public Library for offering us the opportunity to, once again, serve as the Title Sponsor and helping to enhance the Library's programs and services for the West Chester community. In the hectic pace of today's world, it is exciting to begin the day surrounded by many remarkable people -- our honorees -- our literacy champions! We applaud their leadership, dedication and passion to help unlock the promise of literacy for others in need in the community.”

Hero winners were recognized in front of the standing-room only audience, and were introduced by short video vignettes produced compliments of Comcast. Following the videos, a designated company representative from each category sponsor presented the winner with his/her award, a custom-engraved crystal award.

When asked about why West Chester Public Library decided to embark upon an event like the Literacy Heroes Breakfast, Board Chairman Pete Dalton commented, “The concept for this wonderful event grew out of a desire to develop a first-class function that recognizes local literacy advocates and closely relates to the library’s mission – one that celebrates an individual’s pursuit of knowledge and the role that local libraries play in fulfilling that goal. Nominees do not need to be affiliated with our library in any way – they simply have to care deeply about the cause of literacy and have engaged in some activity to help promote and nurture it in our community.”

The morning was filled with surprises, including a guest appearance by several students from the third grade at SS Peter and Paul School who arrived bright and early to kick off the festivities by leading the audience in “The Pledge of Allegiance.”

“All in all, it’s been just an incredible morning,” said Dalton. “I can’t think of a more uplifting way to celebrate National Library Week than this one. It’s an honor to be here.”