Each May , local businesses and groups in Kelowna and surrounding areas team up to participate in Project Literacy ’ s Adult Team Spelling Bee Fundraiser . Funds are raised at this event through every team ’ s entry fee of a thousand dollars ; last year , a grand total of fourteen teams competed for the Spelling Bee Trophy .
Since OKARTA has been a longtime supporter of Project Literacy , the society ’ s executive director , Paul Zuurbier , approached Bev to see if the branch would be interested in getting involved . That ’ s how OKARTA ’ s spelling team , The Bee Keepers , came to bee .
The OKARTA branch tends to stand out in the crowd at the fundraiser each year , proudly dressed in black and yellow , sometimes with stripes and smiling bee hats on their heads . Like the pollinators they are emulating , OKARTA is happy to work together to support the cause ; no one understands the importance of literacy better than a group of retired educators .
Different from most spelling bees , the Project Literacy fundraiser has teams work together to determine the correct spelling of a word in just sixty seconds , with a designated team captain who has the final say . “ It ’ s a really great teambuilding experience ,” says Bev . “ We get loud !” Their enthusiasm even earned the branch a Spirit Award at the fundraiser last year .
“ It ’ s an amazing cause and organization ,” Bev says . “ OKARTA is proud to support Project Literacy ; it ' s also thanks to the grants we receive from ARTA that we get to participate in the fundraiser .”
If you want to create a buzz around literacy in your own community , you can learn more about Project Literacy at projectliteracy . ca .
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