Literacy Chicago to host Mandela grandson for annual “Well Read Affair”

CHICAGO - June 30, 2015 - PRLog -- (CHICAGO) -- Zondwa Mandela, grandson of the South African President and freedom fighter Nelson Mandela, will keynoteLiteracy Chicago’s (http://www.literacychicago.org) The Well Read Affair 2015
on Friday August 21, at the Union League Club
at 65 West Jackson Blvd.


Mandela will discuss the importance of efforts to provide all citizens with opportunities to pursue education and achieve basic literacy, while also highlighting how doing so brings greater prosperity to communities across the globe. The 30-year-old serves as the managing director/chief executive officer of South African based Aurora Empowerment Systems, which invests in emerging markets within Africa. Mandela, who has a background in marketing management and economics, is a proponent of literacy and education programs in his native South Africa.

This annual benefit brings together donors, volunteers, friends and community members in support of Literacy Chicago, Chicago's oldest literacy organization providing tuition free classes and/or one-on-one tutoring in Adult Basic Education (ABE), General Education Development (GED) preparation and English as a Second Language (ESL).  Past speakers for the Well Read Affair have included Linda Yu of ABC 7 Chicago, attorney and best selling author Scott Turow and journalist Nancy Giles.

“Literacy Chicago is extremely proud to have Zondwa Mandela join us for our annual fundraiser,” said Shirley Evans-Wofford, chair of the Literacy Chicago Board of Directors.  “His message is in line with what our organization has been doing since its founding, assuring the basic literacy skills are accessible to all citizens.”

For more information on sponsorships or to attend the event contact Rich Dominguez, Executive Director at 312-870-1100 or email: rdominguez@literacychicago.org.  Tickets begin at $150.00

About Literacy Chicago

Literacy Chicago is a nonprofit organization that empowers individuals to achieve greater self-sufficiency through language and literacy instruction. Formed by the merger of Literacy Volunteers of Chicago and Literacy Council of Chicago, literally thousands of area adults have participated in the broad range of programs Literacy Chicago has developed, including basic literacy, GED preparation, and English as a Second Language. Literacy Chicago continues its learner-focused programming by relying heavily on the efforts of volunteer tutors, frequently offering ancillary classes such as health literacy, computer literacy, and financial literacy, to support their language/literacy options.