Beebe to declare Bookcase Literacy Week

On Monday, at 10 a.m. in the Governor's Conference Room at the State Capitol, the Conway Bookcase Project Committee will receive a Proclamation from Gov. Mike Beebe declaring October 12-18, 2008 as: "Bookcase Literacy Week" in the State of Arkansas. Thirteen members of this committee will be on hand to receive the proclamation.

This will be done in recognition and appreciation for the work of this all-volunteer project, started in 2005, to give personalized, oak bookcases to children in low-income families. The goal of this project is to focus on the home environment and parents reading to and with their children in their most important formative years.

In 1955, 81 percent of parents in our nation read to and with their children and today this number is around 21 percent.

Sadly, four of every 10 students in American Schools today will not graduate. At the Fourth Annual Awards Ceremony, on April 27, keynote speaker Dr. Greg Murry superintendent of Conway Public Schools, gave a big part of the reason why this is true. Children who are reared in low-income homes where few, if any, books are present hear approximately 2900 words before they enter the first grade. On the other hand, children who grow up in a reading-rich environment hear twice that many.

The importance of vocabulary, words and communication skills are vital to a child's success in school and in life. What Dr. Murry's statement really means is that most of these children are candidates for drop-out before they ever get to the school classroom. This bookcase project uses no tax money or government grants. By choice, they are not a 501 (c) (3) Corporation, as this is a "Community Project" where everyone is "Giving Back" and the real winners are the children, their parents and our community.

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To raise funds to construct the next 50 bookcases that will be presented in April of 2009, the Conway Bookcase Project Committee will be hosting a "Bookcase Literacy Banquet" they believe will be the first of its kind. It will take place at 6:30 p.m. at the Bob Courtway Middle School Cafeteria on Oct. 16th in Conway. More than 200 quality, personalized, oak bookcases have already been presented to deserving children in previous ceremonies at the Faulkner County Library.

This is a "community wide" event and they are expecting 400 people to attend the banquet. The banquet room will be decorated with a "literacy" theme and some of the many volunteers are already hard at work to insure a memorable, rewarding and successful event.

Master of Ceremonies will be well-known former Sen. Stanley Russ, who is a member of the committee. Entertainment will be provided by Jason Rapert and his Living Grace Bluegrass Gospel Band who are giving their time and talent. The program will also feature a special appearance by Tim Trawick, Arkansas State Champion fiddle player. The food will be provided by generous donors from across Conway and Faulkner County and will be cooked and prepared by kitchen volunteers.

The meal will be patterned after the Annual Spaghetti Dinner held each year by St. Joseph Catholic Church at Center Ridge, where they feed more than 2,500 people in about six hours. The menu will consist of spaghetti, smoked sausage, kraut, slaw, corn, pickles, French bread, dessert, water, tea and coffee, served "family style" as this will serve to create an atmosphere to bring citizens closer together as a community. The meal will be served by 40 to 50 members of the Book Club at St. Joseph High School here in Conway.

The cost of the tickets is $15.95 each, and every person who attends receives a delicious meal, great entertainment and a complimentary copy of Jim Davidson's book "Learning, Earning & Giving Back" as a memento of the occasion. As the book is read and passed around, it will serve to create awareness for the need for improved literacy in our community, especially among low-income families.

This is a unique project that is important for these children and the future of our community, state and nation. It is now spreading to other communities in Arkansas and other states and a small portion of the funds the committee receives from the banquet will be used for this purpose. The committee invites you to come and join them to celebrate "Literacy" and the impact it has in each of our lives.

Tickets are available from Conway Bookcase Project Committee members Ken Ingram, Mickey Cox, Amanda Moore, Stanley Russ, Linda Linn, Randall Aragon, Mary Boyd, Larry Pillow, Phyliss Fry, Jerry Glover, Ruth Voss, Nancy Mitchell and Linda Hammontree or you may call chairman Jim Davidson at 450-7743. Checks should be made payable to the Conway Bookcase Project.