BookEnds Celebrates 10th Anniversary with Believe in Kids SCRABBLE® Challenge

Feb. 10, 2009 - PRLog -- BookEnds Believe in Kids SCRABBLE Challenge will take place on March 5, 2009 at the Beverly Hills Country Club. This special evening is a new incarnation of the annual Believe in Kids fundraising event. SCRABBLE Challenge is an evening of fun and friendly competition featuring a doubles SCRABBLE tournament and a fabulous silent auction. It's the perfect opportunity to try your hand with word play and turn tiles into books! The games will be played with three teams comprised of two players each. Those registering as a single will be paired with a teammate. Co-Chaired by Patti Tanenbaum and Carol Zaslow with a host committee featuring many distinguished guests from Beverly Hills including Mayor Barry Brucker, Council Member Nancy Krasne, School Board President Nooshin Meshkaty, School Board Members Dr. Myra Demeter, Ph.D, Steven Fenton, Dr. Brian Goldberg, Ph.D and Myra Lurie. Additional Honorary Host Committee members include Los Angeles City Council President Eric Garcetti, Los Angeles Board of Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky and California State Assembly Member Mike Feuer.

To add to the evening's fun, all attendees will play in honor of one of our recipient schools. So, ultimately, the real winners are the children of Los Angeles. Our evening will conclude with the highest scoring team receiving the 2009 Scrabble Challenge Champion title. The winning team will also have their names inscribed in the bookplates of thousands of books delivered to their honorary school as well as the opportunity to participate in the heartwarming delivery of books to the recipient classrooms. Awards will be presented for the first, second and third place teams. However, a good time is guaranteed for all!

The silent auction promises to offer many tantalizing opportunities, including: Christophe of Beverly Hills Hair Cut and Color, Make-up; Mondrian Hotel/Asia de Cuba one night stay and dinner for two; Round of golf at the exclusive Riviera and Sherwood Country Clubs

SCRABBLE Challenge benefits BookEnds, an organization meeting a critical need right here in our community by providing desperately needed books as a tool to develop literacy skills while empowering children to make a difference in the lives of their peers.

Members of the BookEnds Youth Leadership Board will be present, assisting with judging, scoring and the silent auction. The YLB is an active board consisting of 8 to 16-year-old members with a passion for community service, especially focused on helping other students achieve literacy and developing their own leadership skills.

The evening is made possible through the generous support of the presenting sponsor, Thomas Safran & Associates, as well as Gold Word Master Benefactor Nestlé and Triple Word Benefactor Symantec.

Tickets are $100 each for single players or teams of 2 at $175. Registration ends March 1, 2009 with limited seating. For more event information or to order tickets, visit www.BookEnds.org/scrabble.htm

Sponsorship opportunities remain available at the following levels: $2500 Classic Novel Sponsor, includes 6 event tickets; $1000 Chapter Book Sponsor, includes 4 event tickets; and $500 Early Reader Sponsor, includes 2 event tickets.

About BookEnds

A literate child is the foundation of a thriving community. In Los Angeles County, 70% of students failed the English Language Arts tests last year. Literacy begins with books. Many of our neighborhood schools and youth organizations lack sufficient books to develop reading skills and a love of reading.

BookEnds provides those books. Established in 1998 from the dream of an 8-year-old boy, BookEnds is about Kids Helping Kids for Literacy. Annually, 20,000 BookEnds student volunteers are empowered with community service as they organize book drives in their schools to recycle their children's books directly into the hands of children in schools and youth organizations in desperate need of books.

BookEnds is a program that works. For every $1,000 donated to BookEnds, we place $5,000 worth of books on barren bookshelves. Since 1998 BookEnds has delivered over 1.25 million books to children in need.

For further information regarding BookEnds, contact Robin Keefe at rkeefe@bookends.org or 818-716-1198 BookEnds is a 501(c) 3 organization. EIN number 31-1803232

www.bookends.org
www.bookends.org/scrabble.htm  (purchase tickets online today!)

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About BookEnds: A literate child is the foundation of a thriving community. In Los Angeles County, 70% of students failed the English Language Arts tests last year. Literacy begins with books. Many of our neighborhood schools and youth organizations lack sufficient books to develop reading skills and a love of reading.

BookEnds provides those books. Established in 1998 from the dream of an 8-year-old boy, BookEnds is about Kids Helping Kids for Literacy. Annually, 20,000 BookEnds student volunteers are empowered with community service as they organize book drives in their schools to recycle their children's books directly into the hands of children in schools and youth organizations in desperate need of books.

BookEnds is a program that works. For every $1,000 donated to BookEnds, we place $5,000 worth of books on barren bookshelves. Since 1998 BookEnds has delivered over 1.25 million books to children in need.