Change has been afoot at Literacy Achieves, whose mission is teaching English and life skills to non-English-speaking adults and their young children.
The 27-year-old non-profit quietly shuttered its West Dallas campus, for example, saying residents have been leaving the area due to a housing crunch. A new executive director, Vicki Keifer, took over in January after the replacement for Sarah Papert, the group’s leader for more than 20 years, lasted less than 12 months in the position.
Now Vicki says she’s assembling a task force to assess the organization’s priorities. And the group’s annual fundraising dinner, Wings of Spring: A Celebration of Literacy, took on a whole new look when it was held on Wednesday, April 3, at The Dallas Arboretum.
The event, presented by the Anthony Family Foundation, had a more youthful feel than in years past, with DJ Lucy Wrubel spinning pop and R&B tunes and encouraging guests to get up and dance. In another new twist, the program even included a Heads or Tails Game under Co-Chairs Carey Davis, Andrea Glispie and Francis Ryburn, who said they were aiming to “inject new activities and energy” into the event.
Held at the Arboretum’s Rosine Hall, the Wings dinner was preceded by an outdoor reception in the Ginsburg Family Plaza. There, a band played tasteful jazz for guests like Marnie and Kern Wildenthal, Gayle and Dave Porter with their daughter-in-law and son Kalee and Payton Porter, Carol Doggett, Laura Corley and Sara and Gary Ahr. At one point, Dave was chatting with Laura Harris-Means and Patrick Means, the evening’s honorary chairs.
Patrick, a vice president and branch manager with Charles Schwab, explained that he first became acquainted with Literacy Achieves through its Board Member Jabeen Zaidi, who asked whether Schwab might consider supporting the group. Schwab said yes and was a high-level Diamond sponsor of the Wings event. Patrick smiled and added that Laura, an anchor/reporter at NBC 5, was the one bringing buzz and glamour to their honorary chair duties.
Following a welcome by Laura and Patrick and an invocation by Rabbi Nancy Kasten, the formal program continued with brief remarks by Board Chair Joyce Roth, who asked the crowd, “Is this great, or what?” Joyce then presented the organization’s key annual honor — the Marnie Wildenthal Literacy Legacy Award — to Preston Hollow Presbyterian Church, whose members founded Literacy Achieves (then known as Vickery Meadow Learning Center) back in 1997. The Rev. Matthew Ruffner accepted the award on behalf of the church.
Next came talks by Vicki (she said the non-profit’s Vickery Meadow facility had recovered from a destructive flood last year, but now needs a new furnace) and Adriana Adams, a former Literacy Achieves student who’s now a children’s teacher there. Said Adriana of Literacy Achieves, “I always found people who were able and willing to help.”
Then Lucy started playing songs like “We are Family” and “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough,” and some of the guests began to dance.
New energy, indeed.