New York Times’ Best-Selling Author, Cheryl Strayed, to Headline Jumpstart’s Scribbles to Novels Gala at the San Francisco Zoo
San Francisco, CA (PRWEB) April 30, 2015 -- Tonight, Jumpstart will bring together prominent authors, celebrities, and leaders for their Scribbles to Novels Gala at the San Francisco Zoo. Jumpstart, a national early education organization, helps young children living in under-resourced communities develop the essential skills needed in order to start kindergarten prepared to succeed, setting them on a path of lifelong success.
On Thursday, April 30, Jumpstart will celebrate the power of the written word at a WILD-themed fundraising event. Guests will escape the ordinary with Jumpstart and honored guest, New York Times best-selling author, Cheryl Strayed, to enjoy a seated outdoor dinner, hear stories from Jumpstart’s college student volunteers, and have the opportunity to meet special animal guests from the San Francisco Zoo.
Cheryl Strayed is the author of the #1 New York Times best-selling memoir, "WILD". Her books have been translated into more than thirty languages around the world and "WILD" was chosen by Oprah Winfrey as the first selection for Oprah’s Book Club. Most recently, "WILD" was adapted for the screen by Director Jean-Marc Vallee. The critically-acclaimed film starring Academy Award-winning actor, Reese Witherspoon, received Best Actress nominations at the 2015 Academy and Golden Globe Awards, in addition to nominations for an Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role at the 2015 Screen Actors Guild Awards. Witherspoon’s co-star, actor Laura Dern, also received an Academy Award nomination for her performance as Strayed’s mother, Bobbi.
“We are incredibly grateful to Cheryl Strayed, our sponsors, dinner committee, and supporters for building much needed awareness around the importance of high-quality early education in the Bay Area. It is truly an honor to have so many prominent members of the Northern California community support Jumpstart’s vision for the future of early learning,” said Alberto Mendoza, Regional Vice President at Jumpstart.
“Jumpstart recruits and trains more than 218 volunteers to work with over 805 preschool children in Northern California, helping them develop the language, literacy, and social-emotional skills needed to be successful in school. This growth is driven by the wonderful relationships formed between the children and college volunteers who implement Jumpstart’s program. Jumpstart helps close the achievement gap before it starts and inspires young adults in our communities to lead,” Mendoza continued.
Since its inception, Jumpstart’s Scribbles to Novels has raised over $2 million to directly benefit the more than 800 children living in low-income communities through programs in 45 preschool classrooms. To date, Jumpstart Northern California has served over 14,000 preschool children. Jumpstart’s Scribbles to Novels will bring together an audience of more than 300 supporters in an effort to raise over $500,000 in support of Jumpstart’s programs throughout Northern California.
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ABOUT JUMPSTART
Jumpstart is a national early education organization working toward the day every child in America enters kindergarten prepared to succeed. Jumpstart provides language, literacy, and social-emotional programming for preschool children from under-resourced communities and promotes quality early learning for all children. By participating in Jumpstart’s year-long program, children develop the language and literacy skills they need to be ready for school, setting them on a path for lifelong success. Since 1993, Jumpstart has trained 36,000 college students and community volunteers to transform the lives of 76,000 preschool children nationwide. Learn more at http://www.jstart.org and follow us on Twitter at @Jumpstartkids.
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Jennifer Curran, Jumpstart, http://www.jstart.org, +1 415.536.5867 Ext: 115, [email protected]
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