Meet the Grate Groan-Up Spelling Bee Teams

Posted on May 22, 2013 by admin

A Colony United for Literacy in the Foothills

The Grate Groan-Up Spelling Bee is fast approaching. This is the 1st Annual spelling bee fundraiser for Literacy for Life.  Funds from this event go to Literacy for Life programs and the teams who collect the highest, 2nd and 3rd highest number of pledges will win money for the library of their choice.

On Friday, June 7 the teams will gather for a lighthearted, head to head competition for spelling supremacy. It promises to be a night of fun and laughter. While the stage is being set and final plans are being made, let us introduce the teams.

Meet the Spelling Teams

Team Black Diamond

Black Diamond Gem Stones Mayor Sharlene Brown, Councillors Sharon Hart and Judy Thomson

Black Diamond Gem Stones
Mayor Sharlene Brown, Councillors Sharon Hart and Judy Thomson

To support the Black Diamond Gem Stones http://www.canadahelps.org/GivingPages/GivingPage.aspx?gpID=23346

Team M.D. of Foothills #31

M.D. of Foothills #31 Foothills Fillies Mayor Ted Mills, Councillors Doug Longson, Judy Gordon*, Ralph Nelson, Barb Castell*, Julie Peters*, Suzanne Del, Ron Chase *Team

M.D. of Foothills #31
Foothills Fillies
Mayor Ted Mills, Councillors Doug Longson, Judy Gordon*, Ralph Nelson, Barb Castell*, Julie Peters*, Suzanne Oel, Ron Chase
*Team

To support the M.D of Foothills #31 Foothills Follies http://www.canadahelps.org/GivingPages/GivingPage.aspx?gpID=24004

Team High River

High River Kool Ade Spellers Councillors Emile Blokland, Don Moore, and Al Brander

High River
Kool Ade Spellers
Mayor Emile Blokland and Councillors Don Moore and Al Brander

To support the High River Kool Ade Spellers http://www.canadahelps.org/GivingPages/GivingPage.aspx?gpID=23517

Team Turner Valley

Turner Valley BEE G's Councillors Barry Williamson, Sandra Rishaug and Gerald Pfeil

Turner Valley BEE G’s
Councillors Gerald Pfeil, Sandra Rishaug and Barry Williamson

To support the Turner Valley BEE G’s http://www.canadahelps.org/GivingPages/GivingPage.aspx?gpID=24003

Team Okotoks

Okoktoks Big Rockies Mayor Bill Robertson and Councillors Florence Christophers, Ed Sands

Okotoks Big Rockies
 Councillors Ed Sands, Matt Rockley and Florence Christophers

To support the Okotoks Big Rockies http://www.canadahelps.org/GivingPages/GivingPage.aspx?gpID=23800

Your Vote Counts

Now it is your turn to vote for your team and library. Select which team you would like to support using the links above.

To find out more about Literacy for Life Foundation, visit http://www.litforlife.com/index.htm

Donate now through Canada Helps

Thank you for supporting literacy in your community!

“The life of a man consists not in seeing visions and in dreaming dreams, but in active charity and in willing service.”     Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

 

 

 

 

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Beelieve in the Importance of Literacy

Posted on May 8, 2013 by admin

Imagine if…

  •   you couldn’t understand what your doctor was telling you about your child’s illness?
  •   you couldn’t make sense of safety instructions at work?
  •   you couldn’t figure out how to complete a job application form?
  •   you didn’t know whether you were given the correct change?
  •   you couldn’t figure out the dosage on your prescription?
  •   you didn’t know what road signs meant?

These skills are vital for everyday life.  47% of Albertans has difficulty with everyday literacy activities creating vulnerable adults and families. Many people struggle with one, some, or all of them impacting the economic, social and emotional health of the individuals and their communities.

We beelieve in the value of literacy

Literacy for Life Foundation is in your community every day working with individuals and families building the skills needed for everyday living.

Join the Literacy for Life Foundation in our 1st annual Grate Groan-Up Spelling Bee fundraiser. Your support is vital to our success in continuing to offer sustainable, free and low-cost programs for all residents in the Foothills area.

The Councils of each of the Municipalities have entered a team in the event.  Their goal is to have fun, support a worthwhile cause, as well as promote healthy competition to win a prize for their community library and to be able to say they are “Grate Spellers”!

Support Literacy for Life and win funds for local libraries by donating here http://www.litforlife.com/events.htm

Enjoy this video of our bee, spotted at the Okotoks Kite Festival spreading word of Literacy for Life’s Grate Groan-Up Spelling Bee fundraiser.

Pick your town and library here http://www.litforlife.com/events.htm

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bee kite videoAbout the Videographer

Go West Video Productions in independently owned and operated by Rikki Neukom of Okotoks, AB. Started in 2011, most videos she has produced have been Holiday Home and Show Suites Video Tours for the web. When asked if she could help out with The Grate Groan-Up Spelling Bee campaign Rikki was more than happy to as she has a real passion for reading.

Visit Go West Video Productions at www.facebook.com/gowestvideo.

_________________________________________________________________________________

About the co-author

Sandra McGrogan is a Builder/Facilitator with Literacy for Life and Chairperson for the Grate Groan-Up Spelling Bee Committee. She has been with Literacy for Life for 3 years. Her 2 passions are literacy and the theatre. She has acted and directed with Windmill Theatre Players since 1991. She currently has a one-act play that won Best Play, Best Director and Best Actress at the Regional One-Act Festival and will be entered in the Provincials on May long weekend to represent the Foothills Region.

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Volunteers don’t get paid, not because they’re worthless, but because they’re priceless. ~Sherry Anderson

Posted on April 25, 2013 by admin

Literacy for Life thrives due to the work of volunteers. .  The organization is thankful for the dedicated volunteers that support the work of the society.  Each person brings skills; passion and dedication to helping people meet their literacy and learning potential.

This year, National Volunteer Week in Canada is April 21 – 27. It’s a week-long recognition and celebration of the commitment of the roughly 13.3-million volunteers across Canada.  Literacy for Life celebrates the commitment of volunteers that share themselves with the communities in the Foothills.Key to my heart

Volunteers are the key to the governance of the organization.  7 dedicated people devote hours to making sure Literacy for Life meets its mission and mandate. This is a tremendous responsibility.  Thank you to present and past Board members!

Volunteers are an important key to providing our programs.  Thank you to the Learning Coaches (tutors), group facilitators, Dog Tale volunteers and their dogs and all the people that sew bags and stuff the bags and envelopes for the Books for Babies Program.

Volunteers are an important key to fundraising!  Thank you to the casino workers, fund raising committee, and all volunteers that have worked to ensure funds are available to do the work in the community.

Volunteering is an accepted part of being a staff member.  Not because they are made to but because they know it helps the people they serve. Thank you to our staff that provides service above and beyond.

The First Ever Grate Groan up Spelling Bee in the West is happening as a fundraiser for Literacy for Life.  This event would not happen without volunteers.  Volunteers are needed to organize, promote, put on the event and participate in the event.  Thank you to the Spelling Bee Committee and Sandra McGrogan (chair), the Municipal Councils of High River, Okotoks, Black Diamond, Turner Valley and the MD of Foothills and to our very own BEEs – Naydene and Dianne!Bee Logo - no words

Our volunteers work in many ways to improve the lives of so many, so it’s important to say thank-you.

You can never say that enough.

To be a volunteer, it takes…

Generosity, a willingness to give your time to others
Understanding, because their lives might be very different from your own
Empathy, an ability to put yourself in someone else’s shoes and feel what they must feel
Compassion, to truly care about making someone else’s life better
Patience, because the process doesn’t always go as smoothly as it might
Dedication, to stick with the project and see it through

You’ve shown these qualities and so much more, so thank you for all that you do.

volunteers-a-gift

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The Power of Words

Posted on April 24, 2013 by admin

It wasn’t very hard to fall head over heels for the movie The Help, based on the novel by Kathryn Stockett. It was an empowering story of three unforgettable women. One of the most moving lines is when Aibileen Clark gently tells a distraught little girl that “she is smart, she is kind, she is important.”

Have a look at this special moment.            you is kind

Words are very powerful.  They are comforting, strengthening, reassuring and empowering.

Build strong family relationships every day

Make sure your family hears…

  • I believe in you…
  • I trust you…
  • I know you can handle it…
  • You are listened to…
  • You are cared for…
  • You are important to me…
    Source: Barbara Coloroso

Would you not feel uplifted hearing any of these things? It is that simple and it has that much impact. Go tell someone in your family today just how wonderful they are.

What are some simple ways that you build strong relationships in your family?

For more Top 10 Tips for a healthy, happy family visit the Foothills Children’s Wellness Network 

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More buzz about our GRATE Bee-vent

Posted on April 17, 2013 by admin

 

Spelling Bee Logo

More buzz about our GRATE BEE-vent

Sandra headshot cmyk sized for print  Sandra Wiebe, Judge

Sandra Wiebe is the sole owner and publisher of Routes magazine, an arts and culture magazine for southern Alberta. She began the magazine almost 5 years ago after completing a bachelor of communications in journalism at Mount Royal University.

As a journalist and lover of the printed word, Sandra is pleased to be supporting this fundraiser for Literacy for Life.

Jessica Patterson  Jessica Patterson, Judge

Jessica Patterson is the editor of Okotoks Living magazine. She has been spelling properly since Grade 4, when she misspelled “area” and lost the class title of “Best Speller.”

Jessica is also an experienced freelance writer, columnist, photographer and proofreader. She has written hundreds of articles on a wide range of subjects and has seen her byline appear in print and online.

She is supporting this fundraiser for literacy because she believes everyone has it in them to be good at spelling. Literacy is one of the most important life skills and a tool of personal empowerment.

—-
And also…

According to the International Board on Books for Young People, “literacy is born from the human need to tell stories, to tell stories about one self or about others, to tell stories about the world to better understand our existence, the others and the universe we live in. All the stories, the myths, the fables and the novels, including those addressed to children are, in fact, the result of this wish and this basic need: they help us to live, to survive; they help us grow and develop.”

I support Literacy for Life as it strives to further the sharing, reading, and telling, of stories.

Doris Workman photo  Doris Daley, Judge

Doris Daley is a self-described lover of words and makes her living on stages throughout North America as one of the Canada’s leading writers and reciters of western poetry.  Many part time jobs keep her hopping, all related to the written word: proofreading, freelance writing and shifts at the Sheep River Library.

“Literacy is to my life what breathing is to my lungs,” she says. “I’d surely tip over if I couldn’t read.”

Currently on her bedside table is a collection of Australian poetry classics, a cupcake recipe book, Beau Geste by PC Wren, the Bulk Barn coupon flyer, a thesaurus, a rhyming dictionary and the current issue of Horses All.

 Pat Fream  Pat Fream, Time Keeper

Pat Fream is a freelance writer and copy editor for Routes Magazine. When she’s not writing from her sunny hilltop home near Dewinton, Pat is cooking endlessly for her ravenous teenagers, reading splendid books, volunteering at hospice or traversing the countryside on foot with her pal Tucker. Pat has a communications degree and nearly a quarter of a century of writing experience.

Pat is excited to be a part of this fun event for Literacy for Life.

A big thank you to our media sponsors

AM logo 1  Sun logo 1 high river online

Go West Video Productions

How can you help your community win the prize?

You community will be going head to head against groan-ups in your rival community in a Spelling Bee competition that will raise funds to support literacy and learning programs in the Foothills. For the teams that raise the most donations, 2nd place, and third place, a significant prize will be awarded to the local library of their choice.

Each of these 5 teams represents a Municipal Council which includes Okotoks, High River, Black Diamond, Turner Valley and the MD of Foothills #31.

Go to your team’s giving page and support your team

  1. Town of High River
  2. Town of Black Diamond
  3. Town of Okotoks – The Big Rockies
  4. Town of Turner Valley
  5. MD of Foothills #31

Want more information contact s.stegmeier@litforlife.com or call Sue Stegmeier at 403- 652-5090.

All proceeds from the Grate Groan-Up Spelling Bee go to our Literacy Programs

47% of Albertans have difficulty with literacy that interferes in their day to day life. You can help us make a difference.

We rely on fundraising activities, grants and donations to meet the needs of our community. You can help by making a pledge, being a sponsor, setting up a giving page, supporting a team.

Donate now through Canada Helps

Thanks for getting involved with Literacy for Life

Please use the social sharing tools below to share this announcement and get your community buzzing about the Grate Groan-Up Spelling Bee! Search #GGSpellBee on Twitter and Pinterest.

 

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News From the Hive

Posted on April 8, 2013 by admin

Spelling Bee Logo

We have some GRATE things happening in the HIVE! 

John Barlow
John Barlow of the Okotoks Western Wheel, Bee-Master of Ceremonies 

Editor and Associate Publisher Okotoks Western Wheel
Married to Louise Barlow, three children (Graeden, Kinley and McKenna)

John is a journalist who has been involved in the publishing industry for more than 20 years. His passion for promoting literacy in our communities is the reason why he is excited to support Literacy for Life and its various programs including the Spelling Bee.

John expressed that it is important that children, teenagers and adults alike have the opportunity to enjoy the drama, adventure and emotions reading can provide. Promoting literacy is an essential key to opening the door to what can be a life-long love of reading.

Darrel Janz 2012
Darrel Janz of CTV, Master Bee Pronouncer

From 1973 – 2012 Darrel anchored the CTV Calgary 6PM News. He now anchors weekends and does a weekly feature entitled “Inspired”.

Darrel supports this event for literacy because to him the ability to read and write is absolutely essential. Writing and reading has been his life and his livelihood. He is grateful that his parents put a great deal of emphasis on reading good books and is sure that his family  were one of the few families in their little farming community in Saskatchewan with subscriptions to Time,  Sports Illustrated and Life Magazines, as well as numerous farm periodicals. When Darrel wasn’t doing chores or playing hockey his nose was always in some kind of reading material.

It paid off, because he had a very satisfying career in broadcast journalism for over half a century.

 Danielle Smith Headshot                                           
Danielle Smith, Honorary Chair for the BEE

Danielle Smith, MLA for Highwood and Leader of the Official Opposition Wildrose Party is the Honourary Chair for Literacy for Life’s 1st Annual Grate groan Up Spelling bee, June 7, 2013.

Danielle’s love for the written word began in high school and she graduated from the University of Calgary with a BA in Economics and a BA in English.  She is a particular fan of classic English novelists like Jane Austen, Thomas Hardy and Somerset Maugham.   Robertson Davies is her favourite Canadian novelist and she likes some of Margaret Atwood’s work.

Danielle and her husband David live in High River with their well walked dog Caine and new puppy Colt.

Danielle is thrilled to be the Honourary Chair of the Grate Groan-up Spelling Bee, an event that represents her own passion for words and supports an organization that shares her commitment to lifelong learning as it reaches out and provides literacy and education programs for both young and old.

A big thank you to our media sponsors

AM logo 1  Sun logo 1  high river online

How to BEEcome involved in the BEE

Make a pledge

Be an event sponsor

Set up a giving page to support your Municipal Council and local library. Click on this link Canada Helps and set up a giving page.

Go to your team’s giving page and support your team

  1. Town of High River
  2. Town of Black Diamond        
  3. Town of Okotoks – The Big Rockies
  4. Town of Turner Valley
  5. MD of Foothills #31

Want more information contact s.stegmeier@litforlife.com or call Sue Stegmeier at 403- 652-5090.

All proceeds from the Grate Groan-Up Spelling Bee go to our Literacy Programs

Who Benefits from the Bee? Children. Families. Our Community.

Literacy for Life Foundation provides literacy programming to all residents of the MD of Foothills No. 31.  From birth to preschool, school-age to adult, families and seniors. They are provided at little to no cost to the learner, family or community agency.

  • Family in-home sessions for healthy learning ideas
  • Group rhyming sessions for infants, parents and seniors
  • Adult lifelong learning workshops and tutoring
  • English Language Learning for families and adults
  • Essential skills and workplace literacy training

47% of Albertans have difficulty with literacy that interferes in their day to day life. You can help us make a difference.

We rely on fundraising activities, grants and donations to meet the needs of our community. You can help by making a pledge, being a sponsor, setting up a giving page, supporting a team.

Donate now through Canada Helps

Thanks for getting involved with Literacy for Life

Please use the social sharing tools below to share this announcement and get your community buzzing about the Grate Groan-Up Spelling Bee!  Search #GGSpellBee on Twitter and Pinterest.

 

 

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