What's Happening at The Literacy & Learning Center?

Golf Ball Drop Benefiting The Literacy & Learning Center

Due to inclement weather, TL&LC's Golf Ball Drop Fundraiser will now take place in September

Official date TO BE ANNOUNCED: Follow our Facebook Page for official announcement and other news about this event.

The good news is, this gives you more time to secure your chances to win AT LEAST $5,000 and up to $25,000!

Follow our Facebook Page by clicking below
for updates on this event!

The Literacy & Learning Center will be hosting a Golf Ball Drop fundraiser that will take at Kelsey & Hutchinson Park in Highlands, where one lucky winner, whose ball lands closest to the target, will receive 25% of the total profits from this fundraiser (up to $25,000.) The official ball drop will be held at Highlands baseball field, located next to the Highlands Conference Center.

Balls are available for purchase at $50 each and there is no limit to the number of balls one individual can purchase in order to increase their odds. Additionally, you do not have to be present to win. The golf balls will be dropped from a Highlands Fire Department truck ladder onto the Highlands baseball field and the ball closest to the target will win the grand prize.

Through fundraisers like this, grants, and donations from the community, The Literacy & Learning Center is able to provide free educational programs to individuals of all ages. The mission of The Literacy & Learning Center is to enrich lives and expand the knowledge of children, adults, and families through diverse educational programs that advance literacy in its many forms and to promote lifelong learning, which results in an informed and empowered community.

For more information about this event or how purchase a ball and secure your chances to win up to $25,000, call (828) 526 – 0863 or visit www.maconncliteracy.org. 

All golf ball purchases must be made online.

Click below to purchase a golf ball and
secure your chance to win!
2022 Twilight 5K!
Come join us for the tenth annual Rotary Club of Highlands Twilight 5K! This year, the race will benefit The Literacy & Learning Center! The race is on Saturday August 13th, 2022 starting at 6PM at the Kelsey Hutchinson Founders Park. The 5K course is undulating, beginners or walkers will find it friendly, yet the faster
runners will be challenged.

Rotary Club of Highlands is running a deal
on early sign up this year!

Their message reads:
"Hello runners! The 10th annual Highlands Twilight 5K is on! We appreciate your patience over the last two years helping us work through all the difficulties from the pandemic and then the weather. Therefore we are offering a special onetime signup discount that will be good for two weeks only. It will give you five dollars off the early signup price of $30.00, so your price with coupon will be $25.00! Kids under five run free! Kids under ten only $10.00. Anyone who signs up now will get a custom bib with their name and guaranteed shirt. The coupon code is thankyou. This year's proceeds will benefit the Literacy Council of Highlands. The band for this year will be Spalding McIntosh. We look forward to seeing you there!! Any questions, please call Derek at 828-200-9226.
Thank you again for your support."

Click below to learn more or sign up for the 2022 Twilight 5K!
Highlands Motoring Festival a Success!

Highlands Motoring Festival was a great success this year. Celebrating it's 15th year, the festivities drew in thousands of participants. The Literacy & Learning Center is one of the recipients of the net proceeds from The Highlands Motoring Festival 2022, along with REACH of Macon County and the Community Care Clinic.

We are so grateful to all of the participants, supporters, and volunteers for making this event wonderful! Click on the articles below to read more and view photos from the weekend!
Randall Atcheson Concert
Carnegie Hall, Juilliard, concert pianist Randall Atcheson, will be visiting Highlands to benefit The Literacy & Learning Center in October. Atcheson was a child prodigy who entered Samford University at 12 years old and has made an impressive career as an organist, pianist, and composer. He was accepted into The Juilliard School where he became the only student in the history of Juilliard ever allowed to pursue and receive simultaneous degrees in piano and organ performances. Atcheson was the winner of the first Juilliard Organ Competition and subsequently gave the premiere performance on the new pipe organ in Alice Tully Hall at Lincoln Center. In December 2014, Atcheson performed his twelfth solo concert at Carnegie Hall.

Atcheson's recording career began following his New York debut on both piano and organ at Alice Tully Hall. He has recorded a total of 16 albums featuring classical music as well as his unique arrangements of sacred music as featured on "Amazing Grace." His "Ivory Christmas" and "True Love" albums demonstrate his ability to present familiar songs in a lush, captivating style. He has recorded on the Word, Windham Hill, PolyGram, and RCA labels. His RCA releases include "Christmas by Candlelight" and a double CD "Classic Love Songs." The double CD release was featured in an extensive national television promotion seen by millions in which Atcheson appears playing various selections from the recording.

His heavy concert schedule had taken him to five continents. He has performed at Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris and Blenheim Palace, England, and has made much-acclaimed piano debuts in Sydney, Australia; Jerusalem, Israel; Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. 
He has also performed abroad in El Salvador, Germany,
the Czech Republic, and Italy.

Atcheson made his debut at Salle Gaveau in Paris in 2002 and has since returned to Paris on 17 occasions to play at the American Embassy where he had the honor of performing for former First Lady Laura Bush. He has performed at the American Embassy and the Spanish Embassy in Prague and on three occasions played for President Bush. Atcheson has also played for President Obama and has performed for such artists as Mick Jagger, Kathie Lee Gifford, Phil Collins, James Taylor, and Diana Ross.

Randall Atcheson is the epitome of a musical Renaissance man. His gift of communicating the beauty of music in various forms has led to a decidedly versatile career as a much-sought-after artist in the classics as well as in pop and the sacred repertoire. 
The concert, which will be held at Highlands Performing Arts Center on October 9th, 2022, will benefit The Literacy & Learning Center’s many free educational programs.

Visit www.maconncliteracy.org or call (828) 526 – 0863 for more information about this upcoming event. Tickets will be on sale soon, click the buttons to follow our Facebook page for updates or to learn more about Randall Atcheson!
The Bascom's Resident Artist: Partnership
This summer, The Bascom welcomes a new resident artist, 2022 Education Fellowship recipient Sayla Hawk Roman. A Highlands native, Sayla is a rising junior at Columbia University studying the visual arts and art history. Sayla is working towards a career in museum curation and is enthusiastic to work with The Bascom this summer to learn more about museum education, curriculum development, and the inner workings of an art center. Her role will include developing summer education curriculum that will result in a portfolio ofclasses she can take with her in the next phase of her journey as an arts professional. Members of surrounding communities and visitors will havethe opportunity to experience Sayla Roman’s educational programs June through August this summer. These include Bascom youth summer camps and workshops, and exhibitions created with youth for exhibition in the Bascom Education Gallery. Her projects will also involve partnerships with the Literacy and Learning Center, Macon County Public Library Epic Teens, and Cashiers Senior Center.
Your Brain on Crossword Puzzles:
Research shows doing crossword puzzles regularly can also improve your ability to focus attention on a desired task and improve your executive function and working memory. All of these skills improve one's ability to successfully navigate the challenges of everyday life and remain independent for as long as possible. (https://www.healthiq.com/blog/brain-boosting-benefits-of-crossword-puzzles/)


Take a break with this month's brain puzzle!
(Check the next TL&LC Newsletter for this puzzle's solution.)
Click below to see recent news and articles about The Literacy & Learning Center.
Note: some of the articles below reference the Golf Ball Drop with the old dates, this event has been rescheduled for a time in September!
Highlands Motoring Festival
The Highlander
Thousands attend 4-day Highlands Motoring Festival
Plateau Daily News
Bascom's Resident Artist
The Laurel
Golf Ball Drop
The Laurel
Twilight 5K
The Laurel
Motoring Festival Thank You
Letter to the Editor
Highlands Newspaper
Golf Ball Drop
Plateau Daily News
English as a Second Language is still being offered through The Literacy & Learning Center online and in-person with video lessons on our YouTube channel by Faviola Olvera and in-person lessons held at The First Presbyterian Church. Over 1,000 children under the age of 5 in Macon County are receiving a free book every month through Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library. After-School Enrichment and Homework Helpers are held Monday-Thursday from 3:00 pm-5:00 pm with Fridays reserved for a new specialized program, Reading Boot Camp!