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Bernadette M. Baillie
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STAN LEE TO RECEIVE HERO OF LITERACY AWARD
AT FAMILY LITERACY FAIR
SAN DIEGO, CA – August 22, 2005 – The Salvation Army Kroc Center, The San Diego Council on Literacy, The San Diego Union Tribune, and Big Guy Books announced today that Stan Lee will be honored with The Stan Lee Hero of Literacy Award at the Family Literacy Fair at The Salvation Army Kroc Center Saturday, Sept. 10 t from 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.. The Stan Lee Hero of Literacy Award will then be awarded annually to recognize the accomplishments of an individual who has made significant contributions to increase literacy among children and adults in San Diego.
Stan Lee has made an indelible mark on the world of publishing. He revitalized the comic-book industry by crafting stories about superheroes that were conflicted, humorous and very human. Characters such as Spider-Man™, The Incredible Hulk™, Daredevil™ and The Fantastic Four™ are just a few of the characters that he created to tell stories about the human experience.
Realizing that comic books had widespread appeal among children, Lee never pandered to this audience with juvenile vocabulary. He instead used these stories to create a generation of readers that would keep coming back, story after story, while increasing their love of reading. Lee’s contributions to the world of publishing truly makes him a hero of literacy.
The presentation of the Stan Lee Hero of Literacy Award will take place on the main stage at the Family Literacy Fair at 11:30 a.m.. Lee will also participate in a question and answer session on stage to address questions about his career, his characters and his thoughts on getting kids to read.
About The Salvation Army Kroc Center
Made possible by a generous gift from Joan Kroc, The Salvation Army Ray and Joan Kroc Corps Community Center provides family support, education, recreation and cultural arts programs to help people, especially children, in San Diego County discover their gifts and talents. The Salvation Army Kroc Center aims to encourage positive life-changing experiences for children and adults, to strengthen families, and to enrich the lives of seniors.
About The San Diego Council on Literacy
The San Diego Council on Literacy was founded in 1986 by The San Diego Union-Tribune publisher Helen K. Copley, then County Supervisor and former U.S. Congressman Brian Bilbray, and five community literacy programs: Carlsbad City Library, Laubach Literacy Council of San Diego, Literacy Volunteers of America, National City Public Library and San Diego Library. The council was originally established to increase public awareness of literacy needs and services and to support cooperative efforts among literacy programs in the county. Since then, local literacy programs have increased in number and variety of services offered. Today, the council has gained the respect of literacy professionals across the country through its ability to unite diverse literacy programs and to gain support for local literacy efforts.
About The San Diego Union Tribune
The San Diego Union-Tribune , the county's oldest employer, has a daily circulation of nearly 355,000 and Sunday sales of nearly 445,000. The 136-year-old newspaper serves San Diego County and portions of Imperial Valley, Riverside and Orange counties. In addition, the Union-Tribune publishes Enlace, a Spanish-language news publication serving San Diego's substantial Hispanic population, and operates SignOnSanDiego.com. With more than 30 million page views and two million unique users in a typical month, SignOnSanDiego.com is the leading online source for local news, entertainment and classifieds in San Diego.
About BiG GUY BOOKS
BiG GUY BOOKS, Inc., located in Carlsbad, California, publishes high-quality adventure stories for children, including the Time Soldiers ® series as well as BiG STUFF ®. BiG GUY BOOKS’ titles feature riveting real-life images, digital special effects and thrilling plots designed to capture the attention of juveniles, especially those who are reluctant readers. BiG Guy Books combines cutting-edge graphics and old-fashioned values to increase literacy—as well as confidence and self-respect—in young readers. www.bigguybooks.com