CELEBRATING LITERACY
Literacy Volunteers of Rensselaer County hosts fall festival with virtual option
TROY, N.Y. » Members of the Literacy Volunteers of Rensselaer County (LVORC), including mentors, students, and honored guests, gathered at the Hilton Garden Inn Saturday afternoon to celebrate another year of empowerment through literacy.
The event, formerly called Authors’ Night, was renamed the Fall Festival this year. The name change did not affect the event itself, because at its core was still the recognition of LVORC’s hardworking students and tutors and all they had accomplished. What had changed was attendance and some safety protocols, as LVORC worked around COVID-19 to make sure the event still happened.
Attendance at the event was split 50/50 between in-person attendees and Zoom attendees. Itwas the first time LVORC had done a live event with an online component to it. Earlier in the year, they hosted their annual literacy run entirely virtually.
“We’ve done several test runs,
and each time we found a new wrinkle,” LVORC Executive Director Judith Smith explained as the final touches were being put on the digital setup. “Hopefullywhenwe go live, everything will go smoothly.”
Fortunately, everything did go smoothly. The event successfully transitioned back and forth between live speakers and prerecorded readings. It was recorded for home viewers to watch later.
Smith explained that being able to have the event despite the pandemic was very important to everyone involved.
“We really want to celebrate the students and their accomplishments,” she said. “It’s one thing if you or I write a story. Some of these guys had to overcome a lot of hurdles to get to this point. And choosing to record their stories too! It’s one thing to read quietly with your tutor, but to read in front of an audience is something else. I think it speaks to the empowerment of the students.”
Shay Harrison, the event chair and member of the LVORC board of directors since 2008, agreed wholeheartedly.
“We weren’t sure in August if we’d be able to do this,” he admitted. “But we made it happen. Our volunteer tech people have been wonderful working on getting Zoom right. We have thirteen speakers this year, which is fantastic - we’ve had anywhere from ten to fifteen on any given year. And we’ve got attendance of about 60. To have that many people in total is heartening.”
Smith admitted that attendance was down by about half due to the pandemic, but many people had made donations to the event to help compensate.
“People have donated to us the ticket price of the event or more,” Smith said. “That’s helped on the financial side.”
The atmosphere of the event was understandable a little different. Guests sat at tables spaced six feet apart and only half-filled. Everyone kept their masks on unless they were eating or speaking at the podium.
Foodservice this year was direct to each table, instead of the usual open buffet.
“Normally we have appetizers out and the bar over there, and everyone would mingle,” Harrison explained. “This year, everyone went right to their seats, and they want to stay put.”
Despite the changes, it was an event filled with positivity and messages of hope, overcoming challenges, and empowerment.
“To our volunteers, I can’t thank you enough,” said LVORC president Caitlin Stein-Miner during her opening remarks. “When we help others, we help ourselves too. In today’s day and age, it’s a beautiful thing to connect like that.”
Guest speaker Scott Baker, an East Greenbush native and author of the book “No One Rises Alone: What Almost Dying Taught Me About Living,” gave a talk about his experiences as a four-time cancer survivor. He described the connections he had made during his long journey, and how he had been helped by people who treated himlike family as he went through round after round of treatments to beat his cancer.
Baker’s book is available through Amazon. He is asking $15 per copy. If you include a message when you place your order that youare getting it through Literacy Volunteers, he will donate $8 out of the $15 directly to LVORC. To purchase the book, go to: https:// www. amazon. com/ NoOne-Rises-Alone-Almost/ dp/1614683964/ref=sr_ 1_ 1 ?dchild=1&keywords=scott +baker+no+one+rises+alon e&qid=1602962832&sr=8-1
Baker’s book carries messages of hope, sharing in struggles, and getting a chance to go in a new direction with your life. He pointed out that these are the same ideas embodied by
LVORC.
“Literacy Volunteers, you’re giving people that chance,” he said. “To solve a lot of problems, it always comes down to education.”
After Baker’s talk, it was time for the students to share their own stories. There were also stories and inspirational messages fromtutors. Of the thirteen readers, three were at the event in person. The rest had prerecorded their stories to be played back over the computer. Each of the students’ stories were written and read by the students themselves, a reflection of all they had learned under the guidance of their tutors and the programs at LVORC.
Every reader’s story was different, but they all had one thing in common: pride. Tutors spoke of how proud they were of all the hard work everyone had done during the year. As students finished reading their stories, it was clear from their faces that they were all very proud of themselves for coming so far.
During closing remarks, that pride was echoed by Smith, Harrison, and LVORC project coordinator Linda Feldmann, who thanked all the volunteers and supporters who continue tomake LVORC’smission possible.
“Together, we ARE making a difference,” Smith said.