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CONGRATULATIONS TO EXECUTIVE SPELLING BEE WINNERS!
In a hotly-contested competition, the Rotary Club of LaPorte triumphantly spelled the word “demurrage” to win the Literacy Council of LaPorte County’s third annual Executive Spelling Bee on Thursday, March 19.
Rotary LaPorte team members included Jeanne Howell, Emerson Spartz, Douglas Busby, and Liliana Ake.
As the fun competition drew to a close, increasingly difficult words were posed to the final spellers from Rotary LaPorte and Dunebrook, the reigning champions. The winning team had to spell two words correctly in a row. According to the definition read by pronouncer Mary Hedge, demurrage is the detention of a vessel, as in loading or unloading, beyond the time agreed upon.
The event at the Clarion Inn & Suites in Michigan City drew more than 100 participants and supporters, including 13 teams of spellers representing agencies, businesses, service clubs, and school systems. Sponsors included Alcoa Howmet, Centier Bank, McDonald’s, National City Bank, Unity Foundation of LaPorte County, and Walmart. “Bee Basket” donations were made by Pepperidge Farm, Starbucks, and Michigan City Liquors.
The Executive Spelling Bee for adults differs from the traditional student bees in that teams consist of three to four persons, who are allowed to confer and use the assistance of pencil and paper.
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OUR THANKS
TO UNITY FOUNDATION OF LAPORTE COUNTY AND THE DISCOVERY
ALLIANCE for ongoing grants in support of the Literacy
Council's growth.
In
addition, we thank the following funders:
- Michigan
City Community Enrichment Corp. for funding development and printing of a resource booklet for at-risk families. Also thanks to City of Michigan City for
supporting the Special Reading Needs tutoring program.
- Dollar
General Foundation for helping fund continuation
of the Hispanic Kindergarten Readiness initiative.
COUNCIL
HISTORY:
In
November 2002, Unity Foundation and The Discovery Alliance held
a forum to begin finding solutions for LaPorte County's very low
literacy rate, as studies show nearly 50 percent of residents read
at a minimal level. Healthy Communities was targeted as the potential
coordinator to develop a countywide literacy coalition to address
this important issue.
Over
the past years, several dedicated literacy service providers and
other supportive organizations have collaborated with HCLC
to grow this countywide effort.
Michigan
City resident Judy Hanish is a part-time coordinator handling tasks
such as strengthening marketing of programs and awareness of literacy
in our community, creating a referral system, and helping recruit
and train literacy volunteers. Our coalition is pursuing an aggressive
strategic plan to fulfill these goals, with additional focus on
early childhood literacy projects.
In
addition, the Literacy Council was pleased to merge its efforts
with Mayor Oberlie's Task Force on Literacy to work together to
benefit the county. For more information about LaPorte County literacy
projects, call Judy at 879-9486 or log on to www.lpliteracycouncil.org.
LITERACY COUNCIL OF
LAPORTE COUNTY MEMBERSHIP:
Adult Basic Education
BabyTALK
Barker Woods Enrichment
Center
City of Michigan City
Dunebrook
Even Start Family Resource
Center
Healthy Communities of
LaPorte County
Ivy Tech Community College
La Porte County Public
Library
La Porte Family YMCA
Michigan City Public Library
READ La Porte County,
Inc.
Sand Castle SHelter for Children and Families
Unity Foundation of La
Porte County
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