Luncheon for Literacy slated Jan. 26 at BC3
Guests at the upcoming Luncheon for Literacy can decorate their table to celebrate a beloved novel, bid on nearly 20 gift baskets, hear Laurel Colonello play 1970s hits on acoustic guitar and Julie Tulba read from “The Tears of Yesteryear” — all while helping Butler County Community College's adult literacy program.
Since its inception in 2008, the program has helped 454 students earn their high school equivalency diploma. In 2019, the program graduated 60 students — the most in 11 years.
Sponsored by the Rotary Club of Butler PM, the event will be held from noon to 3 p.m. Jan. 26 at Founders Hall on BC3's main campus in Butler Township. Tickets cost $30 and include lunch prepared by Stephen's Kitchen and Catering, formerly Porky's Smokehouse, in Butler.
Tulba, of Cranberry Township, will read passages from her second book and first novel, “The Tears of Yesteryear,” which was published in May. The coming-of-age tale set against the backdrop of a steel mill town at the turn of the last century tells the story of Ewa, a Polish teenage immigrant who comes to America in search of a better life.
A silent auction and 50-50 raffle will follow, as will a vote for a favorite table, said Annie Baglier, a member of the 10-member Luncheon for Literacy committee and whose husband, Dennis, served as 2019 president of the Rotary Club of Butler PM.
“We want this to be a fun afternoon. And I am a strong believer that people want to give, but don't always know how to give or where to give. And this is such a worthy, worthy cause,” Baglier said.
All proceeds benefit BC3's adult literacy program, which provides free classes to students in English as a second language, essential skills, personal finance, computer literacy, career exploration and preparation, and toward “the ever-important path to a high school equivalency diploma for those who may not have completed high school for one reason or another,” according to county Commissioner Leslie Osche.
Osche serves as a Luncheon for Literacy committee member and is president-elect of the Rotary Club of Butler PM, where she has been a member for 19 years.“That high school equivalency diploma is what leads to future training, employability and individual fulfillment,” Osche said. “The program also provides some financial literacy education, partnering with many countywide programs and agencies in helping individuals achieve financial independence and self-sufficiency.”Last year's event welcomed 162 guests. Also held in 2011 and 2012, the events together raised $20,000, according to Barb Gade, director of a BC3 adult literacy program.Funds raised from the luncheon help promote student success by covering the $7 fee associated with each of four practice exams as well as the $30 cost per test for the official high school equivalency tests that lead to a diploma.“A lot of our students cannot afford to pay that $30 per test,” Gade said, adding the event is “a good way to support something that is meaningful to other people's lives. Lives are changed as people get their diplomas. People start seeing beyond where they are right now to possibilities of where they can go.”Among the 27 Luncheon for Literacy tables adorned in 2019 were centerpieces of chocolates representing Roald Dahl's “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” and Willy Wonka; red-and-white hats representing Dr. Seuss; and decorative bunnies for Richard Adams' “Watership Down.”For more information or to buy a ticket, contact Baglier at 724-679-5443 or at abaglier@zoominternet.net; or Jocelyn Shetter at 724-822-7706 or at tgshetter@zoominternet.net.William Foley is the coordinator of news and media content at Butler County Community College.
What: Fourthh annual Luncheon for Literacy to raise money for the adult literacy program at Butler County Community CollegeWhen: noon to 3 p.m. Jan. 26Where: Founders Hall on BC3's main campusCOST: $30 per person
