FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
The Leadership Cares Foundation
10181 Nightingale Street
Gaithersburg MD 20882
Contacts: Ron Yudd (301) 540-5791
Lula Davis (202) 224-7595

LEADERSHIP CARES PRESENTS ITS ANNUAL LITERACYCARES™ AWARD OF EXCELLENCE TO LOCAL VOLUNTEER LITERACY TUTORS. 

Washington D.C., October 11th, 2004. The Leadership Cares Foundation an organization that works with young people teaching them leadership and life skills presented its annual LiteracyCares™ Award of Excellence to four local literacy tutors that volunteer through Literacy Councils in the greater Washington D.C. area. The awards were presented at a dinner held in their honor at the Capital Hilton Hotel in Washington, D.C. Friday evening October 8th, 2004. 

"This award brings attention to the dedication of volunteers who work tirelessly to provide instruction in reading and writing to countless individuals in our area. It also showcases the continued need for volunteer tutors to step forward and give the gift of literacy," says Lula Davis, Executive Director of the Leadership Cares Foundation. 

The 2004 LiteracyCares™ Award of Excellence winners were: Ms. Marie Bolt from the Literacy Council of Prince George's County; Mr. Scott Sleek of the Washington Literacy Council; Mr. Roger Endert from the Literacy Council of Northern Virginia; and Ms. Marilyn Gaut from the Literacy Council of Montgomery County. 

Award winners thanked their Literacy Council and Leadership Cares and then spoke briefly about their experience. Ms. Marie Bolt spoke about how much she enjoyed her work as a tutor and working with the Literacy Council of Prince Georges County. Mr. Scott Sleek talked about how much he enjoyed the sessions with his students. Mr. Roger Endert thanked others from his Literacy Council and spoke of how much he cherished his 15 years of service. He encouraged others to get involved in order to experience the joy of teaching others to read and write. Ms. Marilyn Gaut spoke about having a passion for what she was doing in her literacy work and that she has enjoyed each and every student she has ever tutored.

Young people concerned about literacy issues assisted in executing the special event. These teenagers are Career Academy students from Northwestern High School in Adelphi, MD and are participating in the MentorCares™ program. Ms. Tina Dembele and Ms. Gabi Yamoah of MentorCares™ interviewed the Literacy Directors on how young people could become more involved in literacy and asked questions of the award winners to help produce a documentary of the event. Ms. Saran Traore presented special plaques to each award winner and Mr. Antonio Washington from MentorCares™ acted as the honorary master of ceremonies escorting the honorees and others during the gala.

The keynote speaker, Ms. Terri Taylor, a long time Leadership Cares volunteer and Executive Assistant to the Democratic Floor Staff for the United States Senate, energized and inspired the audience with her call to service. She spoke of the importance of mentoring and tutoring and encouraged the audience to continue on their mission of reaching out and helping others succeed.

Mr. Carroll Parker, a literacy student of Mr. Scott Sleek, received a thunderous standing ovation when he spoke of how his life had changed because of his tutor. He spoke about how his employment status had positively changed and how his level of self confidence had grown because of his involvement with Scott and the Washington Literacy Council.

A letter from Senator Paul Sarbanes (D-MD) was presented to Ms. Marie Bolt and Ms. Marylyn Gaut the winners representing the two Literacy Councils from the state of Maryland. Senator Barbara Mikulski (D-MD) also sent congratulatory messages and words of encouragement to the award winners and all the volunteers.

Ms. Lula Davis, Executive Director of Leadership Cares presented checks totally $2,000 to the Literacy Council directors to support their Tutor Training Programs. 

The evening closed with the annual tradition of all participants signing the 2004 LiteracyCares™ Student Quote Board displayed with quote posters from past years.

Literacy tutors in the Washington D.C. area volunteer thousands of hours each year to help overcome illiteracy and open new worlds to those that struggle with this problem. Tutors receive training and then teach others to read and write. The tutors enjoy a profound sense of accomplishment and know that their efforts have made a significant difference in the lives of their students.

For more information on literacy issues and how to volunteer as a tutor call:
Literacy Council of Prince Georges County-301-699-9770
Washington Literacy Council- 202-387-9029
Literacy Council of Northern Virginia-703-237-0866
Literacy Council of Montgomery County-301-942-9292

For more information about the Literacy Cares Award of Excellence and the Leadership Cares Foundation visit the web site at www.leadershipcares.org or phone 301-540-5791.