Kalamazoo Literacy Council

Our 2nd annual Kalamazoo SCRABBLE® Fest was a rousing success, raising almost $4,000 to strengthen and expand adult literacy services for low-level adult readers.

Thirty-eight players brought their skills to the tables, with 14 competitive and 24 just-for-fun players. The top three winners in each category are pictured below.

In the competitive category, Rob Wall Emerson took top honors for the second year in a row, with a score of 1,279 cummulative points for the three rounds of play. Eric Schmidt also repeated with a 2nd place finish with a score of 1,155, and Rosario Hughey took 3rd with 1,145.

Pictured: Rosario Hughey (3rd), Eric Schmidt (2nd), Rob Wall Emerson (1st)

In the just-for-fun category of play, Jeanne Church won the day with a cumulative score of 1,027 for three rounds of play. Debbie Grosteffon took 2nd place with a score of 986, and Brian Lucas took third with a score of 903.

Pictured: Brian Lucas (3rd), Jeanne Church (1st), Debbie Grosteffon (2nd)

The top winners in both categories took home Kindle E-readers. Prizes for the other participants included gift certificates to Nike, Saffron, Miller Auditorium, Carraba's, Something's Brewing, Great Lakes Shipping Company, Lodo's, and Smashburger.

The Kalamazoo SCRABBLE® Fest was sponsored by Adams Outdoor Advertising, Edward Industrial Sales, Inc., Shupan & Sons, Inc. and other local businesses. We would also like to thank the many volunteers who helped make this event a wonderful success.

Pictured: Michael Evans, Director of the KLC, looks up a disputed word during the final round of play in the just-for-fun competition.

Pictured: Players in the final moments of the third round of play in the just-for-fun competition.

 The KLC is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to provide quality literacy education that enhances the lives of adults through programs designed to increase reading, writing and spelling skills. We provide tutor training for qualified volunteers and provide one-on-one services to adults. We offer free literacy tutoring and free educational materials to adults who have been evaluated by the KLC. The KLC is supported in part by grants from the Kalamazoo Community Foundation, Irving S. Gilmore Foundation, the Greater Kalamazoo United Way, Dollar General Literacy Foundation, among other supporters.