31st Love of Literacy Luncheon Raises $175,000 for Palm Beach County Programs Focused on Fighting Illiteracy

**L to R: Luncheon co-chair and Boca Raton resident Debra Ghostine, luncheon co-chair Bernadette O’Grady, author Elizabeth Berg, Stephanie Glavin, Kristin Calder, and Susan Rabinowitz**

Boca Raton, FL – Local children and adults struggling due to lack of literacy skills will benefit from this year’s successful Love of Literacy Luncheon. The event, which is the Literacy Coalition of Palm Beach County’s biggest annual fundraiser, raised $175,000.

Bestselling author Elizabeth Berg was a huge hit with luncheon attendees. Berg is the author of the 2021-22 “Read Together Palm Beach County” book, The Story of Arthur Truluv. The reading campaign kicked off in November 2021 and ended with the Love of Literacy Luncheon on April 1, 2022. Berg is the author of many bestselling novels, including 3 that became television movies.

Literacy Coalition board members Bernadette O’Grady and Debra Ghostine co-chaired the luncheon. Special thanks to our many sponsors:

Bank of America, Presenting Sponsor
Paul and Nancy Zarcadoolas, Platinum Sponsor
Gentle Medicine Associates, Inc., Barbara and Len Gray, Greenberg Traurig, P.A., Kosinski Foundation & The Robinson Family Foundation, and Searcy Denney Scarola Barnhart & Shipley, P.A., Gold Sponsors
Akerman, LLP, Simone and Peter Bonutti, First Horizon Foundation, Florida Power & Light, Lewis, Longman & Walker, P.A., Levenger Foundation, Lynn University, Plastridge Insurance, and Bernadette O’Grady/WPTV 5, Silver Sponsors.

The Coalition provides adult and family literacy programs, children’s literacy programs, and a Literacy AmeriCorps program, all aimed at improving the quality of life in our community by promoting and achieving literacy. Nearly half of all 3^rd graders in Palm Beach County are not reading on grade level. Furthermore, more than 22% of Palm Beach County residents age 16 or older lack basic literacy skills, according to the National Center for Education Statistics 2020.

To learn more about the LIteracy Coalition, please visit www.LiteracyPBC.org, or call 561-279-9103.

About the Literacy Coalition of Palm Beach County

A recipient of the coveted 4-star Charity Navigator rating for 13 consecutive years, the Literacy Coalition of Palm Beach County works to improve the quality of life in our community by promoting and achieving literacy. In Palm Beach County, 22% of adults age 16 and older lack basic literacy skills and can’t fill out a job application or read a bus schedule, and nearly half of all third graders are not reading on grade level. Through extensive outreach and collaboration with a network of community partners, the Literacy Coalition strives to ensure that individuals who need to improve their literacy skills receive the help they need. By providing services to 46,867 adults, children and families each year, the Literacy Coalition’s goal is for every child and every adult in Palm Beach County to be able to read.