The skies were a vibrant blue with just a hint of a cooling
breeze as Project READ (P.R.) hosted its annual BBQ and Awards Celebration at
the Community Activities Building in Redwood City. This year’s theme was
“Pirates through the years”. As I walked through the entrance into the
colorfully decorated hall, I was greeted by a motley crew of pirates. “Captain”
Joanne, her “first mate” Jean, Chelsea and Matthew the beloved “go-fors” assisted the arrivals. Jayita
and Cecilia, a tutor/learner pair, handed out name tags as they signed in the
numerous volunteers for the day. 
The children were given re-usable tote bags to decorate at
the crafts table led by Maryanne, who is a volunteer for HOBA (Hands on Bay
Area) as well as other volunteers from this incredible non-profit
organization. These volunteers
also helped the kids to assemble eye-catching pirate hats and had fun creating
pirate puzzles.
Long tables were set up with multi-colored balloons awaiting
the delicious BBQ to be served later in the day. Opposite the tables, teen
tutors Leslie and Marie were selling P.R. T-Shirts. Pam Patek, Youth (FIP)
& Small Group Student/Tutor Coordinator, was in charge of the “Guess How
Many Gold and Silver Coins” game. She says “there were tons of guesses” as people
counted the coins from top to bottom, sideways and even picked up the jar to
guess how many it held. The actual amount was 586 and Sara Martinez won with a
guess of 589.
At last it was time to present the “Spirit of Project
READ Awards”. Kathy Endaya, Director of Project READ addressed the crowd with
an eloquent and thoughtful speech acknowledging the various entities such as
“Redwood City Friends of Literacy” and the many volunteers that contribute so
much to the success of Project READ. This year Angele Echele, Adult &
Families (FFL) Student/Tutor Coordinator, honored the Adult Tutoring pair,
Larry Knox and Trivan Lovings. Gil Gatea, Family Literacy Center Student /Tutor
Coordinator and Brigid Walsh, Student/Tutor Coordinator honored Teen Tutor Katherine
Ruiz. Pam Patek honored the Adult Tutor with Child pair, Gabriela Ake and Annie
Georges. It was wonderful to see the beaming faces of all the honorees.
Following the awards, yummy desserts were served courtesy of the kitchen crew.
