Who says spelling bees are just for kids? The Literacy Coalition of Palm Beach County is now registering teams for the 25th annual Great Grown-Up Spelling Bee, which takes place Thursday, Oct. 20 at 6 p.m. at the Harriet Himmel Theater at CityPlace in West Palm Beach.
The entry fee for a team of three is $1,200. Nonprofit teams can compete in the bee at a discounted rate of $1,000. The cost includes a table for eight at the event, light refreshments and a listing in the coalition’s newsletter and on its web site. In this election year, participants will also enjoy a surprise patriotic word bank.
Co-chairs for this year’s event are Matt Turko with Haile Shaw & Pfaffenberger P.A. and Dr. Rob Gingras of Palm Beach State College. Committee members include Bernadette O’Grady of WPTV, Amanda Lundergan of Ice Legal, Kathleen Slattery of NextEra Energy, Ken Montgomery of Barnabus Consulting Group, Katrhy Metzger of Florida Crystals, Kimberly Lea of Keiser University and Kristin Calder of the Literacy Coalition.
Sponsorship opportunities include: Presenting Sponsor: $15,000, Nectar Sponsor: $10,000, Bee Hive Sponsor: $5,000, Honeycomb Sponsor: $2,500, Alphabet Letter Sponsor: $350 and Program Ad Sponsor (full page, $400; half page, $200). Detailed benefits of each sponsorship level can be found at www.literacypbc.org.
Proceeds from the Great Grown-Up Spelling Bee will help finance the many programs provided by the coalition, including: Adult Literacy, After School Reads, Budding Readers, Glades Family Education, Building Better Readers, Turning Bullies into Buddies, Literacy AmeriCorps, Parent-Child Home, Reach Out & Read, Village Readers Family Education and Workplace/Community Education.
The Literacy Coalition of Palm Beach County works to improve the quality of life in the community by promoting and achieving literacy. One in seven adults in the county is unable to read and understand information found in books, newspapers and manuals, and nearly half of all third-graders are not reading at grade level.
Through extensive outreach and collaboration with a network of community partners, the Literacy Coalition strives to ensure that individuals who need to improve their literacy skills receive the help they need. By providing services to more than 27,000 adults, children and families each year, the Literacy Coalition’s goal is for every child and every adult in Palm Beach County to be able to read.
ABOVE: Committee members are (L-R): Bernadette O’Grady, Amanda Lundergan, Kathleen Slattery, Matt Turko, Ken Montgomery as Buzzby Book Bee, Rob Gingras, Kristin Calder and Kimberly Lea.
