Recent Events
SCRABBLE® Spellebration 2011 Defies Snowstorm -- Beantown Scrabbler Win Again
SCRABBLE® Spellebration 2010 Left Us Wordless
Approximately 100 people attended LVSA’s annual SCRABBLE® Spellebration on Saturday, October 23, at Widener University Law School’s Barrister’s club in Wilmington, raising almost $10,000 for adult literacy programs in Delaware. The event pitted teams of up to five against each another for an afternoon SCRABBLE® competition to win a trophy and prizes, with all proceeds benefitting LVSA and supporting efforts to eradicate illiteracy in Delaware.
Delaware Lt. Governor Matthew Denn opened the event at 1 p.m., stressing that “this money and this program have a profound difference in our community.” Gaming lasted until 4p.m., with breaks for refreshments, ending with the presentation of trophies, awards, and raffle prizes. This year's team winner was once again the The Beantown Scrabblers: Paul Albergo, John Stoddart, and Dave Mastro. (Pictures below). This is their third year as SCRABBLE® Spellebration Master Champions. Second place went to the Happy (Benzoxy) Camphors: Michelle Ritchie, John Hammell, Jen Parks and Sonya Ward. The third-place winners were the Scrabbled Eggs: Gail Riblett, Amber Riblett, JoAnn Riblett, Nick Rohm, and Bill Eden.
First place winners (l.) were The Beantown Scrabblers. The Happy (Benzoyl) Camphors (r.) took second place.
This was the event’s fifth year. As LVSA’s primary annual fundraiser, it provides needed support for tutor training and money to buy learning materials. In addition to support provided by the event sponsors, contributors to the earnings included raffle ticket sales, team registration fees, and gaming fees. For a competitive edge, players could purchase dictionary time, as well as letter tiles at prices corresponding to the tile’s value. Raffle prizes included gym memberships, wine, book, and autumn-themed gift baskets, and an Amazon Kindle.
TD Bank, Longview Financial Partners, and WSFS Bank were major sponsors for the event. Click Here to read about all our sponsors.
CLICK HERE TO SEE PICTURES FROM THE EVENT!
To see more pictures, go to http://www.flickr.com/groups/1516687@N24/.
LVSA Receives Hispanic Affairs Grant
In October 2010, the Governor’s Consortium on Hispanic Affairs in Delaware awarded LVSA a grant to support literacy skills among the Spanish-speaking population in the Bear, Delaware, area. The $8,000 Grant will enable LVSA to offer classes in life skills, health and financial literacy and other instructions at the Bear Library starting in January and running through June 2011. Classes will meet twice a week on Mondays and Wednesdays from 6 – 8 pm and will be taught by an LVSA instructor.
“We are excited to bring literacy skills to the Bear Hispanic Community,” said Cynthia Shermeyer, LVSA Executive Director. “In a study conducted by the Consortium a few years back, the Hispanic population – which accounts for 5.5% of the population in the Bear/Route 40 corridor – was underserved by educational opportunities for English classes for Spanish speakers.”
“Our goal is to meet this underserved need and help students improve their English skills so they can advocate for themselves and their family and become productive employees and community members,” Shermeyer continued.
Spanish-speaking students interested in registering for the class can give their name and contact information to a librarian at the Bear Library or contact LVSA at 302-658-5624.
Funding for the Hispanic Affairs Grant comes from the Arsht-Cannon Fund, which was created in 2002 through the Delaware Community Foundation. The Fund is aimed at supporting Delaware programs through research partnerships and funding. Over the past six years, the Arsht-Cannon Fund has given $4.5 million to nonprofit agencies in Delaware, $2 million of which have gone specifically to the programs focused on the needs of Hispanic families.
Governor's Consortium on Hispanic Affairs Grant recipients. Representing LVSA are: (from far left) Bill Ritchie, Cynthia Shermeyer and Karen Kinsella.