September 17, 2009 (recap on events)
Garnering unprecedented publicity for LV Maine, our successful benefit at Portland's Abromson Community Education Center kicked-off the "Faces of Literacy: Voices of Courage" statewide literacy awareness campaign. This heartwarming evening offered something for everyone. See our picture gallery!
Filling the 300+ capacity of Hannaford Lecture Hall floor, people flocked in to enjoy bestselling author Vicki Myron, who made her first visit to Maine exclusively for our benefit. Ms. Myron's #1 New York Times nonfiction bestseller, Dewey: The Small-Town Library Cat Who Touched the World is being adapted into a film, with Meryl Streep tagged to play the role of the author. Board President Chip Brewer opened the program following a silent auction reception and debut of the "Faces of Literacy: Voices of Courage" photography exhibition documenting people whose lives have been changed by Literacy Volunteers. Many who had their portraits taken traveled miles to view them.
Don Carrigan of NewsCenter 6 and 'handler' of Togus the Cat, was emcee, sharing personal insights on adult literacy. He and Ms. Myron later exchanged Togus and Dewey t-shirt gifts to great cheers. LV Maine also premiered our powerful film spotlighting adults who achieved personal goals working with their LV tutors.
Representing UNUM as the Literacy Champion benefit sponsor, Senior Vice President Chris Jerome introduced Vicki Myron. The author shared charming news videos of Dewey Readmore Books over his 20-year lifespan, illustrating the basis of her true story how Dewey served the library and townspeople, eventually becoming world famous. The audience was first to hear Ms. Myron announce that her newly released children’s version, Dewey: There's a Cat in the Library, jumped to the #2 NYT bestseller list. Following a question-and-answer session, Ms. Myron signed copies of her books for the host of people who gathered to meet her.
We thank UNUM, IDEXX, Nelson and Small, Incorporated, and all our many sponsors, donors and event participants for contributing to such a memorable evening. Details on sponsors and contributions will be published in the 2009 LV Maine Annual Report.
Learn more about the "Faces of Literacy: Voices of Courage" campaign.
