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Thank you to all of our Read-A-Palooza 2020 donors and sponsors

by DonorsEventsFundraisingRead-a-Palooza

Read-A-Palooza 2020 was our biggest and best fundraising event to date. We had an amazing volunteer committee who helped us create a beautiful celebration of Read Aloud’s history and original founders, honoring the past leadership of Mary Kay Bond and looking to the future. We had scores of donors and supporters who purchased tickets and sent donations in Mary Kay’s honor. Even on a weeknight, 13 of our volunteer county chapters were represented, some traveling a great distance to attend. Twenty-six sponsors made this event possible, and they are listed below with links to their individual websites so you can learn more about them.

Signature Sponsors

Platinum Sponsors

The Becker Family

Gold Sponsors

Kim & Greg Burton

William Maxwell Davis

Silver Sponsors

Bronze Sponsors

Ned & Barbara Rose

Juli Hatcher Mock

David & Susan Turnbull

Tom Heywood & Melody Simpson

Read Aloud would not be able to do the important work of motivating West Virginia students to read for fun without the support of local businesses, corporate sponsors, private foundations, and individual donors. As master of ceremonies Tom Tinder shared with the crowd at Read-A-Palooza, we serve 23% of PK-8th graders with an annual budget under $200,000. Every dollar given to Read Aloud is carefully and strategically spent to make the best impact on the children of West Virginia. As little as $100 can supply an entire class of students with high quality, high interest books to add to their home libraries.

That’s why we’d like to say a very special thank you to all of our donors and sponsors who have helped us to secure not only Read Aloud’s future, but the future of literacy in WV.

And for supporters who are still considering donating, it’s never too late! Any amount is significant. Even $5 can put a new book in the hands of a child to help them fall in love with reading.

Read-A-Palooza fundraiser most successful to date

by EventsNewsRead-a-Palooza

By Sara Busse

It was a red carpet night as Read Aloud West Virginia hosted Read-A-Palooza on March 19, 2018, at Paterno’s at the Park in Charleston. The annual event was attended by 220 friends of Read Aloud who enjoyed the event’s theme, “Books to the Big Screen”—a celebration of children’s books that have been adapted into movies.

The purpose of Read-A-Palooza is to raise vital funds for Read Aloud’s programs, as well as to raise awareness of the work Read Aloud does in 30 counties and 210 schools in West Virginia.

As they say in the movie biz, “The award goes to…” our two Signature Sponsors, BrickStreet Insurance and the Elliot Family Foundation, and to Paterno’s for giving us the perfect setting for the popular fundraiser. Many others helped make the event possible, as listed below.

Artwork, excursions, and other exciting items were part of a silent auction that raised funds to help spread the Read Aloud message throughout West Virginia. Many people contributed silent auction items, including gifts from our Berkeley, Boone, Greenbrier, Hampshire, Kanawha, Mingo, Morgan, Pocahontas, Preston, Randolph, Roane and Wood county Read Aloud chapters. We received auction items from friends in California, Massachusetts, New York, South Carolina and Virginia, as well. Monetary donations were received from Berkeley, Jackson, Jefferson,  Kanawha, Marion, Monongalia, Nicholas, Preston, Randolph, Wood and Upshur counties as well as from Florida, Massachusetts, Maryland, North Carolina and West Virginia.

Thanks to all of our friends who contributed auction items and to those who purchased items! Another thanks goes to the Read-A-Palooza committee, led by Hayley Woodrum, who put in countless hours to make the  evening a success.

Even though the event was held in Charleston, the movie-themed evening was a state-wide affair, enjoyed by Read Aloud supporters from Boone, Cabell, Greenbrier, Jackson, Kanawha, Logan, Mingo, Pocahontas, Putnam, Raleigh and Randolph counties.

Read Aloud is deeply indebted to Read-A-Palooza’s sponsors, silent auction and monetary donors and everyone who helped make the event a success. We hope you will join us next year!

Sara Busse is a long-time Charleston resident and community volunteer.

Special thanks to our Read-A-Palooza 2018 Sponsors!

Signature Sponsors: BrickStreet Insurance and The Elliot Family Foundation

Platinum Sponsor: Johnstone & Gabhart

Gold Sponsors: Moses Auto Group, TransCanada Corporation, United Bank

Silver Sponsors: Appalachian Power, Summit Community Bank

Bronze Sponsors: Advanced Eye Care, Assured Partners of WV, LLC, BB&T Wealth, Charleston Pediatric Dentistry

Read Aloud West Virginia Board member, Denise Davenport, surveys guests on their favorite book-to-movie pair as they enter Read-A-Palooza 2018. (Photo credit to Rafael Barker)

 

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Read Aloud celebrates 30 years at Read-A-Palooza fundraiser

by EventsRead-a-Palooza

By Lesley McCullough McCallister

Volunteers, friends, community supporters, board members and staff gathered on March 20 for Read-A-Palooza and to celebrate 30 years of Read Aloud in the Mountain State.

Nearly 200 attendees enjoyed delicious food and a lively atmosphere courtesy of Paterno’s at the Park in Charleston. This year’s “Generation Read Aloud” theme highlighted the stories of individuals who grew up with Read Aloud in their own classrooms, as well as teachers, parents, and readers.

“The fact that we were celebrating our 30th birthday encouraged us to take a look back and reflect on the impact the program has had in the lives of West Virginia’s children,” said Mary Kay Bond, Read Aloud West Virginia executive director. “We were able to highlight stories from students benefitting from the program in the early years and the role reading continues to play in their lives today as parents of a new generation.”

Read-A-Palooza was extra special because Steve Westfall, a member of the West Virginia Legislature and a Jackson County Read Aloud reader, presented RAWV with a citation from the West Virginia House of Delegates recognizing and applauding Read Aloud’s 30 years of volunteer service to the children of West Virginia. United States Senator Shelley Moore Capito and West Virginia poet laureate Marc Harshman sent prerecorded anniversary messages.

Thanks to the support of Read-A-Palooza Signature Sponsors BrickStreet Insurance and The Elliot Family Foundation, as well as the generosity of additional corporate sponsors and individual donors, this year’s Read-A-Palooza event was the organization’s most successful to date. Read Aloud staff expressed gratitude to all who attended, donated or otherwise showed support to help make the 30th anniversary celebration extra special.

Lesley McCullough McCallister is a Read Aloud supporter, volunteer reader, newsletter contributor and a freelance journalist.

To see photos (courtesy of Rafael Barker) from our 2017 Read-A-Palooza event, visit our Facebook page.