On November 10th, United Through Reading hosted its fourth annual Storybook Ball, sponsored by BAE Systems. The gala and fundraising event was a joyful celebration of another remarkable year and an opportunity to pay tribute to our volunteers, donors, program partners and the military families we serve.
We were honored to have former First Lady Laura Bush serve as our Honorary Chair. Mrs. Bush became the Honorary Chair of our Military Program in 2006 and has been a steadfast supporter of our work since then.
Mrs. Bush welcomed guests from around the nation via video, spoke to the importance of the read-aloud experience in children’s lives, and thanked guests for their support of United Through Reading.
Guest Author Kate DiCamillo and CEO, Sally Ann Zoll
United Through Reading was delighted to welcome bestselling children’s author, Kate DiCamillo, author of Newbery Honor winner, Because of Winn-Dixie, Newbery Medal winner, The Tale of Despereaux, and The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane. Throughout Kate’s body of work there is a theme that reflects our mission—the absence of a parent.
While the circumstances of Kate’s characters are different than those of the children we serve, the longing for connection and vortex of absence are the same. In speaking to guests, Kate shared her belief in the power of connecting through literature, and praised guests’ commitment to enabling military parents to continue their vital roles as readers amidst difficult separations.
Major Brian Pate and his wife, Elisabeth
Our guests were given a first-hand account of the power that United Through Reading can have on a deployed service member and his family by Major Brian Pate, who along with his wife Elisabeth and their children joined us to celebrate. Major Pate, an active and reserve Marine Corps officer of 15 years, shared how United Through Reading enabled a dialogue with his son that was otherwise missing, so that when he returned from deployment, his son knew who he was.
Brian lauded the value of the program in emphasizing and reinforcing the importance of reading as a habit, and spoke to the role United Through Reading has played in continuing that habit now that he is home.
It was our privilege to present this year’s Angel Award to the Bob Woodruff Foundation. Since its founding, the Bob Woodruff Foundation has invested more than $12 million in over 150 grants to charitable organizations around the country in programs which reintegrate injured service members in their communities and assist their families with the transition.
In 2012, The Bob Woodruff Foundation funded United Through Reading’s launch of a Wounded Warrior initiative to bring our program to injured service members receiving treatment in military medical facilities. We are honored by the Bob Woodruff Foundation’s belief in our ability to reach this important population who has sacrificed so much in service to their country. To be among those funded by this remarkable foundation is a unique privilege and we were proud to celebrate this new relationship at the Storybook Ball.
Ms. Barbara Lau accepts the Angel Award on behalf of the Bob Woodruff Foundation
We were pleased to have Doug Stewart, VP Legislative Affairs, BAE Systems and United Through Reading Trustee on hand to welcome guests on behalf of title sponsor BAE Systems. Joining us from, Target, United Through Reading’s largest funder, was Jeff Mader, VP Technology Services, Target and United Through Reading Trustee.
Other event sponsors in attendance included Google, General Dynamics Information Technology, Jacob Tyler Creative Group, San Diego Padres, General Dynamics NASSCO, Wells Fargo, Torrey Pines Bank and Steve and Susie Swinton. Though not in attendance, we were deeply grateful for the continued sponsorship of the Dr. Seuss Fund at the San Diego Foundation and Mrs. Audrey Geisel, the Viterbi Family, ProFlowers, Cisco, Jessica and Allen Ehmann and new sponsorship from a la mode, inc.
The Board of Trustees and the staff of United Through Reading are profoundly grateful to our generous donors, program partners, devoted volunteers and the military members who bring our program to life in the field and at sea.
Thanks to their steadfast support, this year’s Storybook Ball was a celebration of the nearly 300,000 military moms, dads and children who used our program in 2012 to stay connected during military separation. With their continued support, we look forward to another year in proud service to our nation’s military and their families.