Literacy Nassau Hosts 14th Annual “(un)SCRABBLE Challenge” Fundraiser on March 7th

Literacy Nassau Hosts 14th Annual "(un)SCRABBLE Challenge" Fundraiser At Chateau Briand in Carle Place on March 7th

John L. Kominicki, President And Publisher Of Long Island Business News To Be Honoree  

On Thursday evening March 7th, Literacy Nassau will host “(un)SCRABBLE Challenge 2013”  at Chateau Briand in Carle Place. This event, now in its 14th year, is a unique and fun filled evening supporting Literacy Nassau in Freeport, NY. All who attend are part of a team playing a form of the game SCRABBLE, which is timed and fast paced with lots of surprises. And the evening is a lot of fun.  

This year’s honoree at (un)SCRABBLE Challenge 2013 is John L. Kominicki, President and Publisher of Long Island Business News, for his contributions to the literary and economic well being of Nassau County. Many companies from the Long Island business community attend each year. Companies who have attended past (un)SCRABBLE Challenges include MSC, Winthrop University Hospital, Cisco Systems, Merrill Lynch, New York Community Bank and Farrell Fritz, PC.  

If you enjoy playing the game of SCRABBLE, you will really enjoy playing “(un)SCRABBLE”. Each table in the banquet room constitutes a team of 10 people. The team at that table is provided with a SCRABBLE® game, including board, tile bag and a full set of letter tiles. The game consists of two timed rounds. The first round lasts 15 minutes, the second round lasts 12 minutes. Each round has its own set of rules, for example, which letters go into the four corners and center. And to really make it interesting, there is one mystery word announced for each round that gives each team an opportunity for additional bonus points awarded for correctly guessing and using mystery words. The team that forms the highest-scoring words from their Scrabble tiles in each round is the winner.  The scores from each round when added up constitute the final scores to determine winners for the evening. The evening is lots of fun, and also competitive, with the top scoring teams get awards. There are also great raffles including one of the grand prizes - an Apple IPad. Yankee and Islander tickets are also among the raffle prizes, along with a delicious buffet dinner at Chateau Briand. And many of the teams who attend from the Long Island business community sometimes come dressed in costumes and uniforms as opposed to standard business attire. Many attendees from past years look forward to returning every year to compete and have a lot of fun.  

This event supports the great work done by Literacy Nassau, which is based in Freeport, NY.  Since its inception 40 years ago when it was known as Literacy Volunteers of America – Nassau County, Literacy Nassau has had a single and unwavering mission: to promote and foster literacy in Nassau County among adult learners in need of improved skills in Basic Literacy and English for Speakers of Other Languages. The services are delivered by trained volunteer tutors in one-to-one and small group learning experiences students are matched with tutors to achieve the educational, economic and social goals they and their tutors have identified as important to them. These services are critical to quality of life and professional opportunity. According to a study from the U.S. Department of Education, it is estimated that 93 million U.S. adults have Basic and Below Basic literacy skills. One of the conclusions from this study found that half of the adults who did not have a high school diploma performed in the Below Basic levels.  Literacy Nassau addresses the needs of functionally illiterate students from all walks of life including those who have grown up and gone to school here as well as many immigrants who come to the United States. In this economic climate, adult literacy education becomes more critical to impact both job opportunities as well as quality of life.   There are a variety of ways to support (un)SCRABBLE Challenge 2013 with multiple sponsorship opportunities as well as ticket packages to attend the event.  Come with your company, friends, and family to play a few rounds of (un)SCRABBLE!  By becoming a sponsor, your company supports the services and programs Literacy Nassau offers to the community here in Nassau County.   Individual tickets to (un)SCRABBLE Challenge 2013 are $75. This includes two rounds of play, dinner, desert, raffles, prizes and much more!   If you can’t make it to (un)SCRABBLE Challenge 2013, there are other ways you can support Literacy Nassau by becoming a volunteer or making a donation.  To learn more about getting involved in supporting Literacy Nassau’s mission or to register for (un)SCRABBLE Challenge 2013, please call (516) 867-3580. Information is also available on their website at http://www.literacynassau.org.         

 Literacy Nassau is “changing the world – one word at a time,” and the impact it makes on the lives of its participants is immeasurable.  

For more information contact the  (un)SCRABBLE Co-Chairs:  

Karen Micciche, Literacy Nassau Executive Director Phone: 516-867-3580, Email: kmicciche@literacynassau.org  

Mark Leff, Literacy Nassau Board Treasurer Phone: 516-984-1127, Email leffmark@aol.com