Literacy Outreach
RWA joined the fight for literacy in 1991 by hosting the first "Readers for Life" Literacy Autographing as the the kick-off event of the 1990 Annual Conference in San Francisco. This event raised $2,000 for the Barbara Bush Foundation for Family Literacy and started a tradition that continues to this day. The 2007 Literacy Autographing held at the Hyatt Regency in Dallas, Texas, raised $56,933.00. (Half the money raised in 2007 stayed in Texas.
View a thank you letter from the Texas Association of Adult Literacy Councils.)
The success and interest in the literacy autographing event prompted RWA to partner with ProLiteracy Worldwide (formerly Laubach Literacy International), a non-profit educational corporation, to help fund literacy programs on a larger scale at both a local and national level.
The "Readers for Life" Literacy Autographing has become one of the most popular events at RWA's annual Conference. Many
New York Times best-selling romance authors like Nora Roberts, Linda Howard, Jayne Ann Krentz, Susan Elizabeth Phillips and hundreds more authors participate in the two-hour autographing event. Typically, there are 400-500 authors participating each year. The thousands of books available for the authors to sign for the public are donated each year by major romance publishers, including Avon, Ballantine, Bantam, Berkley, Dell, Dorchester, Harlequin, HarperCollins, Kensington, Leisure, Penguin Putnam, Pocket Books, Silhouette, St. Martin's Press, and Warner Books.
Each year the autographing event raises thousands of dollars which are donated to ProLiteracy Worldwide. Since 1991 RWA efforts have raised over $600,000.
The next "Readers for Life" Literacy Autographing featuring over 500 authors will be held at the San Francisco Marriott. Admission is free and all proceeds will be donated to literacy. Come join the cause!
It's Not Just About the Money
RWA's support of adult literacy doesn't end with money. There are many, many members of RWA who volunteer as tutors for their local literacy organizations. According to Jim Aiello, former Development Officer, Corporate and Foundation Grants for ProLiteracy Worldwide, "While the money is good, their work as volunteers to bring the gift of literacy to those who don't have it may be even more important."
Recognition
- In 1991, RWA was nominated as one of President Bush's Thousand Points of Light for its efforts in the fight for literacy.
- In 1994, ProLiteracy Worldwide presented RWA with an Excellence Award for the organization's continuing efforts in the fight for literacy.
Get Involved
For information on how to join the cause to fight for literacy, visit
ProLiteracy Worldwide.
ProLiteracy Worldwide
1320 Jamesville Avenue
Syracuse, NY 13210
Phone: (315) 422-9121 Ext. 353
Fax: (315) 422-6369
E-Mail:
corpcomm@proliteracy.org
