BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Better Basics, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit United Way agency dedicated to improving literacy through school-day, afterschool, and summer learning programs, will commemorate its twentieth anniversary at the Celebrate 20 in ’14 dinner event. The event, which will honor partners who have made a significant impact on the growth and sustainability of the organization, will be held on February 20, at The Club in Homewood. A reception and silent auction begins at 6 p.m. followed by the dinner and program which begins at 7 p.m.
Former NBA and University of Alabama basketball star, Ennis Whatley will be the featured speaker. Ennis is a graduate of Phillips High School in Birmingham who led The University of Alabama’s basketball team to a Sweet 16 appearance in the 1982 NCAA Tournament before playing 10 seasons in the NBA. Now an inspirational speaker, he struggled through school until college, when he discovered the importance of reading and education. His message truly resonates with the mission of Better Basics.
Tickets for the celebration event are $75 each or $1,000 for a table of eight. You may purchase tickets through the website, www.betterbasics.org, or mail a check to 211 Summit Parkway, Suite 108, Birmingham, Alabama 35209. For questions, please email events@betterbasics.org or call 205- 944-2928.
The proceeds from the Celebrate 20 in ’14 event will support Better Basics’ full range of literacy programs in area public schools. Last year, Better Basics served more than 19,000 students and gave away almost 40,000 books to children who might not otherwise have books in their homes.
“Better Basics is honored to have the support of people who are truly concerned about furthering literacy in our community,” said Karen Kapp, Executive Director of Better Basics. “By helping children develop a life-long love of reading, we truly can increase the high school graduation rate in Alabama, create a well-educated workforce, and decrease both the number of inmates in Alabama prisons and the number of welfare recipients,” said Kapp.
The event will honor partners who played a significant role in the growth of Better Basics over its 20 year history. Those being honored include: John and Jane Glasser, Briarwood Presbyterian Church, Doug Shook, Sue Seay, The Community Foundation of Greater Birmingham, Junior League of Birmingham, United Way of Central Alabama, Daniel Foundation, Susan Mott Webb Charitable Trust, Robert R Meyer Foundation, Jemison Investments, Joseph S. Bruno Foundation, Alabama Power, Protective Life, Vulcan Materials, Alabama State Council on the Arts, Jim Stephens, Rotaract Club of Birmingham, Bruce and Ida Dunbar, Eldridge Turner, Alabama State Department of Education, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Children’s Literacy Guild, Comer Foundation, Hugh Kaul Foundation, Appalachian Regional Commission, Independent Presbyterian Church Foundation, Belk Foundation, Mike and Gillian Goodrich Foundation, John Brown, William Porter, Kym Prewitt, Malcolm Miller, Casey Thompson, Fay Fontenot, and Trenton Ellison.
Better Basics provides literacy intervention, enrichment programs and educational opportunities for elementary- and middle-school students throughout Alabama. These programs empower students as they progress along the learning continuum, from reading to comprehension to retention, while infusing literature into their homes and exposing them to multi-cultural arts and enrichment programs. Based in Birmingham, Ala., Better Basics is a recognized authority on childhood literacy. For more information, please visit www.betterbasics.org.
