FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

MEDIA ALERT
Lit from Within Spoken Word to Support Childhood Literacy
Who:
Guest: Childrens Book Bank. Poets La-Vane Kelly, Preya Panday, Andrea and Ja
Mane; DJ and sponsors. The event hosted by Centennial College Public Relations
students at the Studio Bar.

What:
Lit from Within is a fundraising event that brings together young artists of Toronto,
donors, and sponsors to raise funds for the Childrens Book Bank. It will be a spoken
word event with a raffle, prizes from sponsors, special cocktails, and music. The funds
would be sent for the children from low-income families.

When:
Friday, November 18, 2016, from 06:00 p.m. to 09:30 p.m.

Where:
Studio Bar, 824 Dundas St West, Toronto

Additional info:
Ganna Bilchych
Annabilchych@gmail.com
647-936-62-72
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/events/197385210670531/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/LitFromWithinTO

For

photos

and

interviews

Annabilchych@gmail.com

please

contact

Ganna

Bilchych

by

email

at

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

NEWS RELEASE
Lit from Within Spoken Word to Support Childhood Literacy
" Centennial College Students Create a Night of Spoken Word to Support The
Children's Book Bank"
Toronto, ON November 18, 2016 - A group
of

Centennial

College

public

relations

students raised $1568 at a Lit from Within"

spoken word event for The Children's Book
Bank of Toronto. The event was held at the
Studio Bar, 824 Dundas St W, Toronto, and
featured local spoken word artists who
donated their time to help support children's
literacy.
Lit from Within was a safe space young creators and poets to come together to
express themselves and Toronto residents came to support the Children's Book Bank.
The money was raised through a Go Fund Me page, entrance fees and raffle tickets.
The venue's ambiance complimented the spoken word theme; with lit candles, dim
lighting, brick walls, a rustic vibe, and a comfortable laid back atmosphere, spacious
enough for all the guests.

The master of ceremony for the evening, Nesakan

Thavarajah, kept the crowd entertained and engaged, as well as performances from
seven local artists and a raffle that the audience had the opportunity to participate in.
All the proceeds made at the event were donated to the book bank.
The book bank is a non- for profit charity that gives out free books and offers literacy
programs to children from low income families in Toronto. With the support of Mary
Ladkey, the director of the Children's Book Bank, five Centennial College students
were able to put together the event.

"On behalf of everyone at the Children's Book Bank, we are so thankful for all the
hard work that these ladies have done to put on this event, said Ladkey. Lit from
Within was fantastic and we couldn't be more proud."
She also added that there is need to raise awareness on the importance of childrens
literacy because it the foundation on which the children will build a future on. She
hoped that this event will be one of many as a way to promote literacy.
The raffle prizes donated to the cause were from a mixture of local stores in Toronto.
Local stores such as Untitled&Co, Life & Wisdom, Body Shop, BMV Books donated
swag bags that were won by a few guests. A local photographer, Pura Photography
also donated her services and photography packages to any lucky winner.
Cameron Wilson, owner of Untitled&Co explained, I am really excited about this
event. Literature is one of the most important things in my life. Though I might not
discuss it loudly on social media I am glad I have the opportunity to be involved with
something that truly means the world to me.
The Childrens Book Bank is Canadas first storefront book bank in the Regent Park
area of Toronto which collects and distributes gently used childrens books free of
charge to children who might not have a chance to own their own books.
The Childrens Book Bank is a registered charity that supports childhood literacy by
providing free books and literacy support to children in low-income neighborhoods
in the Toronto area. From Canadas first storefront book bank in the Regent Park
area of Toronto, The Childrens Book Bank collects and distributes gently used
childrens books and distributes them free of charge to children who might not
otherwise have a chance to own their own books.
-30For more information:

Ganna Bilchych
Annabilchych@gmail.com
647-936-62-72

FACT SHEET
Lit from Within Spoken Word to Support Childhood Literacy
Founded:

A group of Centennial Public Relations students in 2016

who are passionate about childrens well being and literacy.
Members: Leah Mabhurukwa, Sapninder Saini, Aya Mehra,
Prutha Jagtap, Brittni Grier and Ganna Bilchych.

Purpose:

To raise funds and support literacy programs for the

Childrens Book Bank of Toronto to cater for children from
low- income families.

Overview:

Lit from Within is an event where Toronto residents come

together to celebrate and celebrate childrens literacy for
the Childrens Book Bank. The charity is a bookstore
suitable for children from birth to 12 years old to access
books free of charge. Each person is allowed to take one
book per visit for equal distribution. They also have literacy
professionals who assist the children with literacy classes.

Goals:

To increase literacy amongst all children in low income

communities. Education is every childs foundation in
planning their future.

Call to action:

Well-wishers and potential lifelong sponsors are welcome

to make any form of donation- monetary, book drives,
events- for the charity to continue its work.

Impact of donation:

The event raised $1568 from the Go Fund Me page,

entrance fees and raffle tickets. The Childrens Book Bank
provides almost 100 000 books every year 95% of its

inventory comes from donations. They have had about 45

000 visitors in as of November 2016.

Achievements:

The Childrens Book Bank received the IBBY-Asahi

Reading Promotion Award in 2014, which was chosen by
the International Board on Books for Young People,
sponsored by the Japanese newspaper company the Asahi
Shimbun.
-30-

For more information,

Ganna Bilchych
Annabilchych@gmail.com
647-936-62-72
Lit from Within
Centennial College Story Arts Centre
951 Carlaw Ave, Toronto, ON M4K 3M2

BIOGRAPHY
Mary Ladky
Executive Director, The Childrens Book Bank

Mary Ladky has been the Executive

Director for the Childrens Book Bank,
since July 2016. Children's Book Bank
is

nonprofit

encourages

foundation

childrens

literacy

that
by

providing free books and supporting

literacy for underprivileged children in
Toronto. In this position, Mary Ladky,
lead and manages the daily operations
associated with the foundation.
Before associating with the organization, Mary Ladky was committed to teaching and
was related to The Linden school, where she was the principal for over two years .
Mary also worked as Assistant Professor at Trent University for more than seven
years, and research assistant at Ontario Institute of Studies in Education for five
years. Ladky also served as an English teacher in New York, Beijing, Montreal, and
Hong Kong for about 10 years. She was also a member of Post-Symposium Working
Group for National Reading Campaign and a coordinator at Quandrangle Society
Book Club.
Mary Ladky earned Bachelor of Arts degree in English and History at Dension
University in 1981 and Master of Arts degree in Anglo- Irish literature at University
College Dublin in 1984, and also holds a diploma in Education from McGill
University, Montreal, QC as well as certification in Teaching from Ontario College of
Teachers.

THE CHILDRENS BOOK BANK

BACKGROUNDER
ABOUT
The Childrens Book Bank is a registered charity situated in the Regent Park area of
Toronto. The mission of the book bank is to support childhood literacy by providing
free books for children belonging to the low-income families. They also have literacy
programs for them.
The charity opened in 2008 and in the past 5 years, they have provided more than
400, 000 free books to children and their families.
The Childrens Book Bank gets an average of 170 visitors per day and 150 books per
month.
The Childrens Book Banks staff includes literacy experts who help select appropriate
books based on age and reading level; they also offer literacy support to children and
their families.

The Childrens Book Bank

350 Berkeley street, (Gerrard Street & Parliament) Toronto, ON M5A 2X5
416-922-7323

Accepts monetary donations and books

Corporate partners: BMO, Manulife Financial, TD, Edelman and The Vine Agency

THE TEAM
Mary Ladky, Executive Director
Lindsay Timmins, Director of Book Bank Operations
Roxanne Deans, Director of Inventory, and Outreach
Loribeth Greg, Saturday Supervisor