Nominations Now Being Accepted for Literacy Heroes
Area Residents to be Nominated and Honored for Extraordinary ActionsNovember 19, 2008: West Chester, PA
Megan Bowman, West Chester Public Library
610-662-6735
West Chester, PA. The West Chester Public Library has been rigorously preparing to host its Fourth Annual Literacy Heroes Breakfast. Co-presented by Verizon, this uplifting event will honor eight Chester County, PA residents who have worked tirelessly to champion the cause of literacy within the past year. An online nomination form, as well as event information, can be found on the brand-new event website, www.literacyheroes.com.
As in previous years, between now and January 15, 2009, the community has a wonderful opportunity to nominate heroes in eight literacy categories including: adult, youth, local author, medical/health, technology, community impact, corporate, and education. Literacy heroes are not only teachers or educators who spend their time teaching others how to read and write-- they are community volunteers, grandparents, and individuals who spend their valuable time helping others.
Governor Edward G. Rendell will serve as Honorary Chairman of the event, and Tamala Edwards, Morning News Anchor for 6abc Action News, will serve as Master of Ceremonies. The awards breakfast will be held on Friday, April 17th, 2009, from 7:30 to 9:30am at Longwood Gardens. Although all available seats have already been reserved, community members can add their name to a waiting list by logging onto www.literacyheroes.com or phoning 610-436-4540, x6.
When asked about their role as Title Sponsor of the event, Gale Y. Given, president, Verizon Pennsylvania, said, “Verizon is proud to join with The West Chester Public Library once again and recognize individuals in our community who have empowered themselves to spark a joy and passion for reading and writing in their lives, and in the lives of others. We are quite excited to celebrate these role models who give selflessly of themselves to build stronger, healthier communities.”
WCPL Board President Howard Sundwall echoed his enthusiasm for the nominations process by stating, “We are very eager to see the nominations that are received this year. The stories submitted in prior years have been incredible, and we certainly hope that our community will once again rally to support this important community-wide event. As we approach the holiday season and economic concerns are soaring, I can’t think of a more fitting gift than spending a few moments to nominate a friend, colleague, neighbor or peer. There is no fee to participate, nor is there any limit on the number of nominations that can be submitted.”
Last year, a record 106 hometown hero nominations were submitted. Winners ranged from a teacher who created a scholarship fund to assist non-English speaking students in their quest to attend college; to a high school student who built and funded the first public library in a tiny town in Honduras. Event guests were speechless upon meeting a therapy dog named Charlie who helped anxious children overcome their fears of reading out loud, and were inspired by the actions of a local nonprofit that disseminates free medical and health literacy information to the under and un-insured. Each hero’s story was memorable and motivational, and WCPL knows there are more stories in our community just waiting to be told!
There are only eight weeks left to nominate a literacy hero. To do so online, please log onto www.literacyheroes.com/nominate.html. Nomination brochures can also be obtained by contacting the library at 610-696-1721.
For more information on the event, stay tuned!
Download this press release here.
