Illiteracy is a problem that touches every aspect of life.

The person who cannot read cannot participate fully in the life of the community.

• Recent Speakers • Distribution of Proceeds • Past Speakers List • Information for Speakers

New York Times bestselling author
Robert Hicks to speak at
2009 Literacy Luncheon

Civil War buffs, avid readers, and fans of historical fiction will all have one thing in common on March 19, when they gather at the newly renovated Oak Ridge High School to hear keynote speaker Robert Hicks during the 16th Annual Literacy Lunch.

They will be enthralled.

Hicks is not only a best selling novelist whose work has been nominated for the Michael Shaara Award for Excellence in Civil War Fiction; he is also a master storyteller in person, weaving together factual historic accounts in a manner that keeps the audience hanging onto every word.

His New York Times bestselling novel, The Widow of the South, centers on the life of Carrie McGavock, mistress of the Franklin, Tennessee, Carnton Plantation. The hardcover release debuted in September 2005 and spent eight weeks on the NY Times Bestseller list.

Hicks is a resident of Williamson County, Tennessee, at "Labor in Vain," his late-eighteenth-century log cabin. Working over the years as a music publisher and in artist management both in country and alternative-rock music, his interests have remained broad and varied. Hicks is also a partner in the B.B. King's Blues Clubs in Nashville, Memphis, Orlando and Los Angeles.

The Widow of the Southis Hicks' first novel, born out of his many years of work at Carnton Plantation as a board member and his passion for the preservation of the remaining fragments of the battlefield. In writing the novel, his hope was to bring national attention back to this moment in our nation's history, the impact those five bloody hours played in making us a nation, and in the preservation of the sites tied to the story.

In December 2005, Hicks was named "Tennessean of the Year" by the Nashville Tennessean newspaper for the impact his novel had on the state, heritage tourism, and preservation.

Hicks' essays on regional history, southern material culture, furniture and music have appeared in numerous publications over the years. In addition, over the past year, he has been writing a series of opt-ed pieces for the NY Times on contemporary politics in the South. He is a nationally known speaker, with topics ranging from Why the South Matters to The Importance of Fiction in Preserving History and more.

Hicks' first book, a collaboration with French-American photographer Michel Arnaud, came out in 2000: Nashville: the Pilgrims of Guitar Town. He is also co-editor of a collection of short stories called A Guitar and A Pen: Short Stories and Story-Songs By Nashville Songwriters, which was released in 2008.

His second novel, A Separate Country, will be released on September 23, 2009.

Individual tickets to the March 19 event can be purchased in advance for $30 each at ORNL Credit Union or from Elaine Mueller. Please email Elaine at prmueller@bellsouth.net to reserve tickets.

She will mail them to you with a payment envelope or you may buy them after our next Rotary meeting.

If you would like to purchase a ticket and donate it back to support literacy you may do that as well.

Interested in applying for funds raised as a result of this year's event?

Click here  for the application package.

Completed applications must be received by October 15, 2009.

Incomplete applications or those not sent to the appropriate address
will not be considered.

'JEFFERSON BASS' A HIT WITH LIT CROWD IN 2008

Nearly 400 people joined us May 8, 2008,

for "An Evening for Literacy,"

featuring author and forensic anthropologist

Dr. William Bass

and former Oak Ridge National Laboratory science writer
Jon Jefferson

at New Hope Center in Oak Ridge.

Click here to read a story in 
The Oak Ridger about the presentation.

Click here to read an advance story in 
The Oak Ridger about this event.

Festivities began at 5:30 p.m. with h'ors doeuvers (and a special DONORS' RECEPTION with Dr. Bass and Jon Jefferson for those whose extra contributions help defray the cost of the event and boost its fund-raising potential). The program began at 6:30 p.m. and continued until about 8 p.m.,

followed by an auction of several special items and a book-signing.

For more information on the preparations for the event:

  Click here for a pdf file of the sponsor letter sent to local businesses, soliciting their support.

  Click here for a pdf file of the response form the order form for additional donors' tickets. 

  CLICK TO DOWNLOAD A PRINTABLE POSTER 

(This is a pdf file that is nearly 3 MBs; give it time!)

BACKGROUND

Lack of literacy skills continues to be a serious problem in the lives of many of our East Tennessee neighbors and for many throughout the world. Non-readers and below-grade readers cannot realize their full potential in life, which in turn adversely affects our local and national economies and society in general.

To address the needs of this almost invisible group, the Oak Ridge Breakfast Rotary Club and Altrusa International of Oak Ridge co-sponsor an annual fundraiser to support organizations in Anderson and Roane counties that actively address illiteracy.

Thanks to the support of our sponsors and individuals in the community, we are able to make a difference in the lives of some of the 20 percent of Anderson and Roane county residents who are functionally illiterate.

Each year since the it began, under the auspices of Rotarian and author Frank Jamison, our fundraiser has featured someone who has enjoyed success as a literary figure (Roots author Alex Haley and novelist Diane Johnson), a media observer (Katy Smyser, a producer of NBC's Dateline), or other notable figure (U.S. Sen. Paul Simon, U.S. Poet Laureate Robert Haas). Folk singer Kate Campbell spoke (and sang) several years ago; and, in what was probably our most unusual year, we heard from two slam poets from California. (See a complete list of speakers, below.)

The event is usually held in the spring, but we try to find a great speaker and then work our schedules together.

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DISTRIBUTION OF PROCEEDS

Proceeds from the luncheon are used to award competitive grants to organizations whose programs, projects, or activities foster literacy in the area. 

From the proceeds of the 2007 luncheon, we were able to award grants totaling more than $15,000 in 2008.

While this did not come close to covering all the requests we received, it did help make a difference in many people's lives.

Grants went to family reading programs, books for pre-schoolers and elementary school children, and English-as-a-second-language support and GED exam assistance for adults.

Proceeds from the 2008 event are expected to be awarded early in 2009. Those interested in receiving funds should complete and submit an application by October 15.

Successful applications will propose specific projects, programs, or activities that will foster literacy.

While successful applicants are eligible to apply for continued support, all applications will be for one year. All applications will be reviewed on their merits, and subsequent funding is not guaranteed.

Although each application will be considered on its own merits, the following types of grants will normally be precluded from the grant program:

•  General operating support   • Capital fund campaigns      • Endowments

•  Grants to individuals           • Grants to religious groups

Grants will be made to community-based groups and organizations that are:

•  Based in and/or have a local presence in a Service Area that includes Oak Ridge

   and/or Anderson and/or Roane counties.

•  Directly serve people who live and/or work in the Service Area.

•  Have volunteers, members, and/or board members who live and/or work in the

   Service Area.

Applicant organizations/groups must be operated and organized so that they do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, gender, age, national origin, or disabilities when they hire staff, let bids, or provide services.

For a list of previous grant recipients, see the link at the bottom of the box that lists this year's awards. For more information about applying for funds, click here. Club members can view the chartering document that establishes the process for distributing funds in the password-protected members-only side of the website (look for the Club Documents page).

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Mim Eichler Rivas spoke at the 2007 Literacy Luncheon.

RECENT SPEAKERS

Recently, we have had the pleasure of hearing from a series of writers, each quite different, but each very well received. In 2006, Appalachian novelist Sharyn McCrumb told a packed house about the writing of St. Dale, her best-selling NASCAR take on The Canterbury Tales.

The 2007 luncheon featured Oak Ridge native Mim Eichler Rivas, co-author of the memoir, The Pursuit of Happyness, which was the basis for a movie starring Will Smith, and Finding Fish, the book on which the Denzel Washington movie, Antoine Fisher, was based.

Mim's book Beautiful Jim Key: The Lost History of the World's Smartest Horse and a Man who Changed the World, is the subject of a documentary film.

In 2008, former Oak Ridge National Laboratory science writer Jon Jefferson and University of Tennessee forensic anthropologist Dr. Bill Bass spoke after an evening reception at New Hope Center in Oak Ridge. Bass founded the University of Tennessee Anthropology Research Facility, also known as "The Body Farm," 25 years ago; and he and Jefferson, writing as "Jefferson Bass" have published three novels in which the work at the Body Farm figures prominently. They also have written two non-fiction books about Dr. Bass's career.

We hope a wide variety of speakers will help us appeal to a wide array of people since we have two goals – to raise money for community efforts and to raise awareness of local literacy problems. The last several years have brought standing-room-only crowds and excellent media coverage.

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COMPLETE LIST OF SPEAKERS

1993  Alex Haley, author of Roots

1994  Wilma Dykeman, Knoxville area author and journalist

1996  Linda W. Billica, NASA astronaut trainer and advisor on Apollo 13

1997  Robert Hass, Poet Laureate of the United States

1998  Jerry Quickley and Robert Carroll, award winning slam poets

1999  Katy Smyser, producer for NBC Dateline

2000  Carolyn Jourdan, award winning documentary film maker

2001  Hon. Paul Simon, retired U.S. Senator, author and professor

2002  Kate Campbell, singer, songwriter, recording artist

2003  Sena Jeter Naslund, award winning author of Ahab’s Wife

2004  Diane Johnson, author and National Book Award finalist of Le Divorce

2005  Shelia Kay Adams, traditional storyteller and author of My Old True Love

2006 Sharyn McCrumb, author of St. Dale and Appalachian ballad novels

2007  Mim Eichler Rivas, author of Beautiful Jim Key : The Lost History of the World's Smartest

           Horse and a Man who Changed the World

2008  Jon Jefferson and Dr. Bill Bass, New York Times bestselling authors who write fiction as

           "Jefferson Bass"

2009  Robert Hicks, New York Times bestselling author of Widow of the South.

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INFORMATION FOR AUTHORS

Because our entire effort is centered around providing support to local literacy organizations, we have very limited means to provide travel expenses and room accommodations for our speakers. Hobson/Yoder Financial Services graciously underwrites basic expenses each year. In return, they normally sponsor a second event for their clients that is held in conjunction with the luncheon.

Several of our speakers have been willing to make other appearances during their visits – at local schools, for example – and recent years have seen a partnership with the Oak Ridge Public Library for a "One City, One Book" effort. This is all coordinated based on the schedule and willingness of the speaker to address more than one organization.

If you are interested in speaking or have a speaker to suggest, please Contact Us with details.

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