2011 Leaders in the Literary Arts (LILA) Awards
Ann Arbor Book Festival
2011 Leaders in the Literary Arts:
Laura Pershin Raynor and Family Learning Institute
The Leader in the Literary Arts (LILA) Awards celebrate individuals and organizations making significant contributions to making our community a place where the literary arts are nurtured, prized, respected, and thrive. LILA recipients spark our reading and writing passions and make our involvement with literature and books a life-long activity. The LILA Awards are presented annually by the Ann Arbor Book Festival. This year, we are honoring storyteller Laura Pershin Raynor and the Family Learning Institute.
June 25 4:15 pm
Festival Tent, E. Washington Street near Alumni Center
Laura Pershin Raynor
Laura Pershin Raynor has performed as a Teller in Residence at the International Storytelling Center in 2005, and she has been featured at the Celebration of Light, Timpanogos and Colonial Williamsburg festivals. Laura brings to life the colorful cast of characters from her unique and loving family. Her Grandma Dinah, who lived to be 105 years old, raised her on the tales of the Old Country, providing Laura with a landscape for her own stories, told in an animated and intimate style. Laura performed at the 2004 National Storytelling Festival. In 2006 she won the Award of Merit for Children's Librarian of the Year in the State of Michigan. Her storytelling home is in the Ann Arbor District Library where she happily tells tales to enthusiastic listeners every week.
The Family Learning Institute (FLI)
The Family Learning Institute (FLI), located at 1954 S. Industrial Hwy in Ann Arbor, provides individualized instruction in reading, writing, and math at no cost to under-performing, low-income students, grade 2-5, from the Ann Arbor Ypsilanti Area. Sessions take place after school and away from school to provide a safe, private environment where children can learn. Doris Sperling, a retired teacher and evaluation expert, and Lefiest Galimore, a community organizer, developed the concept for and established FLI in late 1999.
Amy Rolfes
Amy Rolfes is the Executive Director. She is an Ann Arbor native and attended Ann Arbor public schools. She has been a classroom teacher in both regular and special education. Amy has a B.A. and M.A. in Education from the University of Michigan, and was Lead Teacher at FLI for two years. As Executive Director, Amy manages the educational program as well as advocates for students and informs and educates the community about FLI.
