First Literacy spelling bee raises $265,000 for adult education
Families, corporations, and community groups navigated words including “isothermal” and “chimerical” during First Literacy’s 34th annual spelling bee, raising $265,000 at the largest fund-raiser of the year for the Boston-based provider of adult basic education programs.
Held inside Boston’s State Street Channel Center on April 11, this year’s spelling bee featured 16 teams, First Literacy said in a statement. Only six teams proceeded to the championship round, a battle that ended when the Crimson Lion Foundation’s Community Advisory Council correctly spelled the word “diphthong.”
The winning team, which represented the Crimson Lion Foundation, included Lee Haller, Jennifer Valdez, and Terrance Cheung, according to First Literacy’s website.
“We were thrilled to welcome such a large audience,” Terry Witherell, First Literacy’s executive director, said in the statement. “By investing in adult literacy, we empower individuals with the skills they need to navigate life’s challenges, secure better job opportunities, and contribute more fully to their communities.”
Proceeds from the event will support the nonprofit’s free teacher workshops, grants, and scholarships awarded to adult learners seeking higher education or vocational training. Over the years, the bee has raised $3.6 million for its adult basic education programs, the Globe reported.
Thays Lobo, a First Literacy scholarship recipient, said the funds allowed her to further her education and improve her English after she immigrated to the US from Brazil. She is now managing a program that offers language classes for residents of 16 shelters across the state, according to the statement.
“Receiving the First Literacy scholarship was a huge part of my journey. It allowed me to believe in myself and my dreams,” Thays said during the event. “I hope the First Literacy team and sponsors wake up every day knowing you made a huge impact in my life, and many other lives.”
One of the nonprofit’s loyal supporters, Kevin McGovern, received the First Literacy Champion Award during this year’s spelling bee, the statement said. As the managing partner for Deloitte’s New England practice, McGovern hosts a Mini Spelling Bee for his employees to determine who will represent the firm at First Literacy’s event.
“Our commitment to this bee allows people not only the chance to have fun, but to understand how important it is that we contribute to our community, and we actually do something to move First Literacy’s mission forward,” said McGovern, who has served on the nonprofit’s host committee for six years.