LOOP for Literacy Raises Nearly $90,000 to Help Local Children and Adults Struggling with Literacy

LOOP for Literacy supporters L to R Front Row: Elisa Glazer of Delray Beach, Regine Bataille of Delray Beach, Helena Zacharis of Boca Raton (LOOP co-chair), Matt Criscuolo of Boca Raton, Andrew Loewenstein of Palm Beach Gardens, Kristin Calder of Boynton Beach, Bernadette O’Grady of Palm Beach Gardens: L to R Back Row: Tom Streit of Crozet, VA, Carol Rose of Wellington, Ken Montgomery of Jupiter, Kelly Starling of Palm Beach Gardens

Boynton Beach, FL – Thanks to the generous support of fundraisers, sponsors and more than 500 runners, walkers, and cyclists, the 13^th Annual LOOP for Literacy raised a record $88,000! The proceeds will fund literacy programs provided by the Literacy Coalition of Palm Beach County. The Coalition focuses on helping children and adults succeed in school and life.

Held at Bryant Park in Lake Worth Beach, the top finishers in the men’s 5K run were:

1^st – Max Arthay with a time of 18:27
2^nd – Angel Gutierrez with a time of 18:34
3^rd – Cenex Fleurigene with a time of 21:32

The top 3 winners in the women’s 5K run were:

1^st – Lisa Levin with a time of 21:44
2^nd – Emily Abbott with a time of 23:33
3^rd – Ulrike Vernachio with a time of 24:02

Xavier Lofaso placed first in the Kids 1-Mile Fun Run, and Stephanos Gunes won the Kids 100-Yard Dash.

The Top Individual Fundraiser is Len Gray. The Top Team Fundraiser is Holland & Knight.

Literacy Coalition Board Members Andy Loewenstein of Palm Beach Gardens and Helena Zacharis of Boca Raton co-chaired the benefit.

Special thanks to:

Presenting Sponsor Florida Crystals
Gold Sponsors Domino Sugar, Levenger Foundation, and Bill Bone Bike Law
Bronze Sponsors Sugar Growers Cooperative of Florida, Nursing Services of Palm Beach, Holland & Knight, and LC Tri Shop
LOOP Supporters Park Avenue BBQ Grille, the Loewenstein Family, Orange Theory Fitness, The Palm Beach Post, Manatee Lagoon, Gentle Medicine Associates, Inc., Simply Healthcare, NCCI, Cole, Scott & Kissane, P.A, CPG Cares, and Barbara and Len Gray.

To learn more about the Literacy Coalition, visit www.LiteracyPBC.org or call 561-767-3370.

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 age16 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.