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

Washington D.C. , April 2, 2009. LeadershipCares™ an organization that works with young people teaching leadership and life skills presented it's eight 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 27^th, 2009. 

"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 junior Ms. Anisha Davis, and seniors Deuvarney Sanderson and Martin Ngwa 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 2009 school year the MentorCares™ students for the second year in a row adopted students from Rosa Parks Elementary School in Hyattsville, MD and conducted tutoring sessions with Kindergarteners, 1^st and 2^nd graders on Saturday mornings.  

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 2009 LiteracyCares™ Award of Excellence winners are:

Ms. Darcel Smith from the Literacy Council of Prince Georges County

Ms. Cheryl Kariya from the Washington Literacy Council

Mr. Ron Wise from the Literacy Council of Northern Virginia     

Ms. Margaret Chandler from the Literacy Council of Montgomery County

Student Master of Ceremonies-Yohana Lebasi, Jada Nicome and Deuvarney Sanderson kicked off the evening by welcoming the guests and talking about the challenges of illiteracy.

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

Mr. Ron Wise when asked about how he felt about being involved in the literacy program said "I believe it is a great program because it helps people who are not very literate improve their reading skills, which in return can help them get a higher paying job and help their kids go further than they did.  

All the award winners encouraged others to get involved. Ms. Cheryl Kariya, from the Washington Literacy Council said "It's great fun!! Go out there and give it your all". She continued "getting to know the students is the simple joy of it all" She also spoke about how her students tell her how much easier their life is once they are given the essential tools to enable them to read. 

The keynote speaker, Ms. Karen Matthews, the reading specialist from Rosa Parks Elementary School in Hyattsville MD spoke about how teaching others to read and write is all about "teaching from the heart". She spoke about the importance of getting involved and making a difference. Ms. Matthews received an enthusiastic standing ovation at the end of her remarks. 

MentorCares reporter Ms. Elizabeth David wrote about the event....."Everyone at the dinner had a lot of passion about what they were doing, they understood the purpose of the program and the impact it had on them and the people they gave the gift of reading. Together we are making a difference and together we can make a change because we are stronger as a unit". 

Ms. Lula Davis, Executive Director of LeadershipCares™ and the students from the MentorCares™ program presented checks totaling $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 2009 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.