Luncheon for Literacy raises funds for BC3 adult education program
BUTLER TWP — Community was at the core of the Butler Rotary Club PM Luncheon for Literacy, held at Butler County Community College’s Founders Hall on Sunday afternoon, Feb. 22.
Local organizations decorated their tables to represent a book at the luncheon, from children’s books like “Olivia” to young adult books like “The Hunger Games,” and even nonfiction books, with one group opting for “Butler: A Pictorial History” as its theme. Another honored the late author Sophie Kinsella, decorating around her book “Confessions of a Shopaholic.”
The event helps fund BC3’s Adult Literacy Program, which offers free high school equivalency prep, English as a second language and other courses for adults seeking a means for self-improvement.
Two students of the program, Mitchell Trejo and Dustin Eckert, spoke about the paths their experiences with the program had opened up for them.
Trejo moved to the U.S. from Mexico and, after three and a half years in BC3’s English as a second language program, said she planned to pursue a doctoral degree from the University of Pittsburgh.
Eckert said BC3’s GED prep courses opened up avenues in his workplace that were closed to him as a high school dropout, and the classes helped him improve his self-confidence and public speaking.
The luncheon also welcomed a guest author. Tricia Pritchard, director of donor and community engagement at the BC3 Foundation, interviewed Dick Hartung, a former basketball coach at BC3 and author of the book, “GOOD ON YA!,” a collection of stories from throughout his life.
Hartung said his advice for aspiring writers is, in one word, “passion,” and said although he was never the most talented basketball player, it was his passion that kept him going on the court and later on the computer.
At the end of the luncheon, the Rotary Club presented awards to the tables with the best designs. The People’s Choice Award went to the Butler Eagle, whose table was decorated like the book “Alice in Wonderland,” and the Judges’ Award went to the Maridon Museum’s table, with a theme of “Black Beauty.”
County Commissioner and Butler PM Rotary secretary Leslie Osche, BC3 President Megan Coval and Butler PM Rotary president Barbara Gade also thanked attendees for supporting their community at the luncheon.
