04 Sep 2023 Banquet proceeds support early childhood reading; sponsorships, tickets on sale

CONWAY — The Conway Kiwanis Bookcase Project banquet will be held from 6 to 8:30 p.m. on Oct. 26, at Bob and Betty Courtway Middle School, 1200 Bob Courtway Drive. Net proceeds will be used to build 50 quality bookcases that will be awarded to Head Start enrollees in Faulkner County next spring. 

The Bookcase Project was founded by Jim Davidson, an author and syndicated newspaper columnist. The current project chairman is Richard Plotkin. Since its inception in 2005, 950 personalized bookcases and a starter set of books have been presented to preschoolers to encourage their family members to read with them. Made of real wood, they are constructed by members of the Kiwanis Club and a brass plate featuring the child’s name is added on the front. Each child receives about a dozen starter books and a stuffed animal. 

Community members and area businesses are invited to attend. Tickets are $25 each and a Sponsor’s Table of eight seats is $250. Sponsors receive promotional benefits on social media, reserved seating and name recognition at the banquet and in a printed program. Each ticket includes a barbeque buffet supper catered by Corky’s, live music by Fat Soul Band and a speaker. Recommended attire is tastefully casual. To purchase a ticket or sponsor a table, contact Plotkin at [email protected] or call 501.920.9429.

Attendees are encouraged to donate new or lightly used books for 4- and 5-year-olds at the popular event.

To make a donation, mail a check to Kiwanis Club of Conway, PO Box 610, Conway, Ark., 72034, and write “Bookcase Project” in the memo section. The Kiwanis Club is a Section 501 (c)(4) nonprofit and charitable contributions are not deductible by donors for federal income tax purposes.

Jamie Ward, owner of Curricula Concepts, Inc. and Be Well Care Well, LLC, will deliver the keynote speech at the banquet. She has more than 25 years of experience in early care and education. Her current focus is on teaching early childhood educators the importance of engaging families, and on the health and wellness of the adults who care for young children.

According to an assessment conducted in Arkansas public schools in spring 2023, only 32.2 percent of students in Grade 3 met or exceeded a benchmark for “readiness” in reading. This was down from 35 percent only one year earlier. “The purpose of our literacy initiative is to help professional educators reverse this trend and reduce the percentage of students who need additional support in reading,” Plotkin said.