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

Washington D.C., April 2, 2008. LeadershipCares™ an organization that works with young people teaching leadership and life skills presented its seventh 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 March 28th, 2008.

"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™. 

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.  The team led by senior, Ms. Kaneisha Hall, worked on the planning and execution of the dinner event. Students planned the menu, developed the evening’s program and interviewed local area Literacy Directors and award winners to help write this press release and a story about the event for the school paper.

As part of their LiteracyCares™ outreach project for the 2008 school year the MentorCares™ students adopted students from Rosa Parks Elementary School in Hyattsville, MD and conduct tutoring sessions with Kindergarteners, 1st and 2nd graders on Saturday mornings at Northwestern High School.

The LiteracyCares™ 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.

The 2008 LiteracyCares™ Award of Excellence winners are:

Ms. Emerencia Viray from the Literacy Council of Prince Georges County
Ms. Julia Hodges from the Washington Literacy Council
Ms. Sherrie Rudick from the Literacy Council of Northern Virginia
Ms. Norma Dancis from the Literacy Council of Montgomery County

As the evening began Mr. Ronald Mason, of Silver Spring MD, sang “You Are My Hero” to honor the students and LiteracyCares award winners. He received a thunderous ovation from all in attendance!

Award winners thanked their Literacy Council and LeadershipCares™ and then spoke about their experiences as volunteer tutors and trainers.

Ms. Emerencia Viray talked about how much it meant to her to be able to help others and how much she enjoyed her experience as a tutor. She talked about the important ingredient of learning how to read was the interaction between the tutor and the new reader.

Ms. Julia Hodges talked about moving to the D.C. area and getting involved at the Washington Literacy Council and how it has become her passion. She spoke about the joy that she receives from helping others.

Ms. Sherrie Rudick spoke about how the awards event was filled with warmth and passion form all those in attendance and how her tutoring experience has been a joy and a pleasure.

Ms. Norma Dancis spoke about how she loved to see a change in her students as she worked with them on reading and how much she enjoyed and appreciated working with her students.

Ms. Lula Davis, Executive Director of LeadershipCares™ and the students from the MentorCares™ program 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 2008 LiteracyCares™ Student Quote Board displayed with student 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-301-610-0030

For more information about the LiteracyCares™ Award of Excellence visit the web site at www.leadershipcares.org or phone 301-540-5791