LiteracyCares Winners 2005

The LeadershipCares Foundation
10181 Nightingale Street
Gaithersburg MD 20882

Ron Yudd (301) 540-5791
Lula Davis (202) 224-7595
www.leadershipcares.org

LEADERSHIPCARES PRESENTS ITS FIFTH ANNUAL LITERACYCARES™ AWARD OF EXCELLENCE TO LOCAL VOLUNTEER LITERACY TUTORS.

Washington D.C., October 17th, 2005. The LeadershipCares Foundation an organization that works with young people teaching leadership and life skills presented its fifth annual LiteracyCares™ Award of Excellence to four local literacy tutors that volunteer through Literacy Councils in the greater Washington D.C. area. The awards were presented at a dinner held in their honor at the Capital Hilton Hotel in Washington, D.C. Friday evening October 14th, 2005.

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

The 2005 LiteracyCares™ Award of Excellence winners were: Ms. Yvette Francis from the Literacy Council of Prince Georges County; Ms. Judy Horowitz of the Washington Literacy Council; Ms. Freddi Lipstein from the Literacy Council of Northern Virginia; and Ms. Carroll McKown from the Literacy Council of Montgomery County

Award winners thanked their Literacy Council and LeadershipCares and then spoke emotionally about their experiences as volunteer tutors and trainers. Ms. Judy Horowitz spoke about how much she had been inspired by her students and how much she loved working with the dedicated staff at the Washington Literacy Council. Ms. Freddie Lipstein spoke about her 28 years of service and how critical it was that everyone in our society learns to read and write. Ms. Carroll McKown from Montgomery County spoke about how she first became involved as a tutor and how important the literacy effort was in helping others become part of America’s culture. All the award winners encouraged the audience to get involved in order to experience the joy of teaching others to read and write.

Teenagers concerned about literacy issues planned and assisted in executing the special event. The teenagers are students from Northwestern High School in Adelphi, MD and are participating in the MentorCares™ program.  Ms. Sandra Portillo, Ms. Mikeisha Williams and Ms. Chanice Harrison of MentorCares™ interviewed the Literacy Directors and award winners to help write this press release and a story about the event for the school paper.

Ms. Dekebra Arrington, a junior at Northwestern and a three-year MentorCares participant was the Mistress of Ceremonies.  Ms. Arrington, who enjoys helping others, shared literacy statistics with the audience and then spoke about the accomplishments of each of the award winners. She then presented the LiteracyCares Award of Excellence.

Mr. Antonio Washington from MentorCares™ acted as the official host escorting the honorees during the event.  

The keynote speaker, Ms. Lisa Wade Rassch, President of Empower Change Inc. and a Board Member of LeadershipCares, energized and inspired the audience with her passion for literacy. She spoke about how student’s lives had been positively changed because someone cared enough to reach out and help them learn how to read and write. She also spoke about volunteer tutors and how their lives had been enriched because of their experiences as volunteers. Ms. Wade Rasssh is currently writing a book about adult literacy students and their experiences.  

Congratulatory letters from Senator Paul Sarbanes (D-MD) and Senator Barbara Mikulski (D-MD) were read during the event.

Ms. Lula Davis, Executive Director of LeadershipCares presented checks totally $2,000 to the Literacy Council Directors to support their Tutor Training Programs. 

The evening closed with the annual tradition of all participants signing the 2005 LiteracyCares™ Student Quote Boarddisplayed with quote posters from past years.

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

For more information on literacy issues and how to volunteer as a tutor call:
Literacy Council of Prince Georges County-301-699-9770
Washington Literacy Council- 202-387-9029
Literacy Council of Northern Virginia-703-237-0866
Literacy Council of Montgomery County-301-942-9292
For more information about the LiteracyCares Award of Excellence and the LeadershipCares Foundation visit the web site at www.leadershipcares.org or phone 301-540-5791.