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The Beautiful Summer

by Brenna Pinckard
2013 Young Adult Runner Up

Chapter One: Ready

It is the middle of June. School has ended, and there is a sense of enchantment in the air. The dream of summer has become a reality; the mere thought of it causes my body to buzz with energy. This buzz is reflected on Katieโ€™s face as she looks over at me from her place in front of the mirror. I can see it in her โ€“ sheโ€™s lighter, happier. School isnโ€™t just over for the year, itโ€™s over forever. And that makes the idea of this summer, the fact that we have ten beautiful, hot weeks stretching out in front of us, seemingly for eternity, all the more appealing. [Read more…]

Muskoka Novel Marathon Smashes Goal and Record Again

The Muskoka Novel Marathon, which raises funds for the YMCAโ€™s literacy programs inย Huntsville, has had a second spectacular year, blowing away its previous record and goal ofย $15,000 by raising more than $18,000.โ€œLast year we jumped more than $6,000 from the year before, and we figured that was mostlyย because we added online donation,โ€ says Karen Wehrstein, who shared convening duties withย fellow writer Dawn Huddlestone. ย โ€œThis year I thought weโ€™d go up to maybe $16,000. ย Thatย weโ€™d jump another $3,000 just blows me away. ย Itโ€™s the writersโ€”their enthusiasm, their passion,ย their inspiration, their love for this cause. ย We have superhero cape parties and theyโ€™re only halfย kiddingโ€”these people do leap tall buildings in a single bound! ย Iโ€™m saying this with tears in myย eyes. ย I donโ€™t even want to try to predict what theyโ€™re going to do next year.โ€

Huddlestone notes that literacy challenges in adults are accompanied by an unfortunate stigma.ย โ€œThe Muskoka Novel Marathon writers are highly literate lovers of words and they get it,โ€ sheย says. โ€œThey get how important literacy is: how much it drives community and economic success,ย how much it contributes to feelings of self-worth, and how much it adds to quality of life. Theirย passion has been and always will be what makes this event so successful. We also receiveย tremendous support from Muskokaโ€™s business community and a raft of volunteers who help usย pull this event together. To all of our writers, sponsors and volunteersโ€”thank you for helping usย change lives.โ€

The marathon, which took place July 12-15 in the Huntsville Civic Centre, has raised closeย to $83,000 since it began in 2002. These funds have enabled the Y to initiate new programsย including its Computer Savvy Seniors classes, according to Nancy West, who is team leader forย the Yโ€™s Employment and Literacy Services in Huntsville. When she found out this yearโ€™s takeย was more than $18,000, she was, in her own words, โ€œfloored. I thought that the goal of $15,000ย was very ambitious โ€“ I never thought that they would surpass it by such a definite margin!โ€\

Now, West says, itโ€™s time for the Y to roll up their sleeves. โ€œThe YMCA is discussing where theย money will be best spent so we can meet the literacy gaps in our local community,โ€ she says. โ€œSoย many people donโ€™t know that literacy is even an issue in Canada โ€“ we need to get the word outย that the need is there, the people are real, and that this is a safe and welcoming place to come.โ€

Contacts:
Karen Wehrstein โ€“ Co-Convenor, Muskoka Novel Marathon: 705 789-7497
Dawn Huddlestone – Co-Convenor, Muskoka Novel Marathon: 705 380-2537
ย ~ www.muskokanovelmarathon.com

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