Legends for Literacy Gala

 

 

 

 

 

On Tuesday evening, October 1, 2019, a team of New England sports legends will join the Rotary Club of Providence and hundreds of concerned friends in supporting one of our community’s most critical needs: the literacy of our public school students. We don’t have to tell you how important reading is to the life chances of every student, and how important a literate population is to the success of the community as a whole.

 

From Kindergarten to third grade, kids learn to read. From then on, throughout their lives, they read to learn.

 

If they can.

 

The Providence Rotary Club’s Childhood Literacy Initiative provides a wide range of supports – some traditional, some experimental -- to help teachers get better success rates developing literacy in the early grades at our partner school, Harry Kizirian Elementary. Located in the Smith Hill section of Providence, Kizirian serves a primarily low income student body, nearly half of whom are English Language Learners. A total of 20 languages are represented among the students.

 

Master of Ceremonies: John Rooke! John Rooke is an award-winning broadcaster, and an inductee into the Rhode Island Radio and Television Hall of Fame and Rhode Island's Words Unlimited Hall of Fame. For 30 years he’s been the play-by-play voice for Providence College men's basketball; Big East Conference football and basketball play-by-play for ESPNU; stadium voice for the New England Patriots and New England Revolution.

 

Keynote Speaker: Malcolm Mitchell! New England Patriot wide receiver Malcolm Mitchell had a standout performance in Super Bowl LI against Atlanta before his career was cut short by injuries. Building on his experience with reading difficulties as a child, Mitchell has written an children's book and now leads a non-profit organization devoted to childhood literacy.

 

Your participation in the Legends for Literacy Gala will help build better futures for some very deserving kids and for the social and economic structure of our city.