PWC hosted our 15th Power of Words Breakfast on Friday, September 6, to mark International Literacy Day and to celebrate our learners, tutors and community partners! Over 90 people attended — our highest number since the pandemic. We also had a record numbers of learners attend.
We started with a delicious hot breakfast served by The Newport Restaurant. The event itself began with local singer Robyn Campbell’s beautiful rendition of Joni Mitchell’s Both Sides Now. We then heard Margaret MacDonald, PWC’s Board President, talk about PWC’s past year as well as her own experiences with low literacy needs within her family growing up. Jeff Larocque returned as our emcee and entertained the audience with his great commentary and anecdotes. Five of our learners (Pierre-Jacques, Isik, K.M., Joan, and Shah) spoke about the circumstances surrounding their coming to PWC and their experiences in the program. Our Keynote Speaker this year was Rawlson King, City Councillor and Deputy Mayor. He held us captive with words about the impact of literacy skills on society, the community and the individual, along with sharing his personal stories surrounding reading, writing, and digital literacy learning.
A special thank you to PWC Executive Director Dee for all the behind-the-scenes work organizing the event! At the end of the morning, we launched our annual Book Draw – where we have over 70 current books up for grabs to win, generously donated by publishers and authors.
