LiteracyCares™ Award of Excellence Dinner 2009

Washington D.C., LeadershipCares™ will present its eighth annual LiteracyCares Award of Excellence to local literacy tutors that volunteer through Literacy Councils in the greater Washington D.C. area. The awards will be presented at a dinner held in their honor at the Capital Hilton Hotel, 16^th and K St. N.W. Washington D.C. on Friday March 27^th 2009 beginning at 6:30pm.

The winners represent literacy councils from Washington D.C. , Montgomery County, Prince Georges County and Northern Virginia. The award winners were selected based on their extraordinary contributions to adult literacy and tutoring.  Read about last year's special event: LiteracyCares Winners Press Release 2008

The 2009 LiteracyCares™ Award of Excellence winners are:

Cheryl Kariya from the Washington Literacy Council

Darcel Smith from the Literacy Council of Prince Georges County

Ron Wise from the Literacy Council of Northern Virginia     

Margaret Chandler from the Literacy Council of Montgomery County

“This award brings attention to the dedication of volunteer tutors that work tirelessly to provide instruction in reading and writing to countless individuals in our area. It also showcases the continued need for volunteers to step forward and give the gift of literacy,” says Lula J. Davis, Executive Director of LeadershipCares™.

Young people from the MentorCares™ program at Northwestern High School in Hyattsville Maryland will be hosting the event. The MentorCares™ program teaches students important leadership and life skills. The high school students have adopted literacy as an area where they want to make a difference. The MentorCares students at Northwestern are volunteering for the second year as reading tutors in partnership with Rosa Parks Elementary school in Hyattsville MD. 

During the dinner event the MentorCares students will work as master of ceremonies, escorts for the award winners and will be interviewing officials on literacy issues in the Washington D.C. area.

Literacy tutors in the D.C. area volunteer thousands of hours each year to help overcome illiteracy and open new worlds to those that struggle with this problem. Tutors receive training and then teach others to read and write. The tutors enjoy a profound sense of accomplishment and know that their efforts have made a significant difference in the lives of their students.