Houston, TX – November 11, 2011 – The Writers in the Schools (WITS) third annual Celebration of Story event gathered guests such as Jessica Rossman and Gordon Bethune, Jacqueline S. Martin, and Josephine and the Honorable Bill Rice for an evening of music and storytelling supporting literacy programs across Houston. Proceeds garnered from the silent auction and dinner enabled Writers in the Schools to include an additional 3,000 underserved children this school year.
Chelsey Cartwright, a Writers in the Schools alum and current senior at Emerson College, left an unforgettable 
impression on the audience when she talked about the life-long learning skills she developed during her 12-year journey in the WITS program. Her analytical and creative writing abilities became especially useful when she had to take a leave of absence from Emerson due to financial difficulty. Determined to complete her studies, she wrote a compelling letter to the president that earned her grants and readmission to the program. “I have WITS to thank for teaching me the power of words,” she said.
A Celebration of Story spotlighted honoree Katherine Center, Houston novelist and former WITS writer. Center, whose work includes best-selling novel The Bright Side of Disaster, thanked Writers in the Schools for giving her the “best job she ever had” by empowering children to become future authors. The silent auction featured original masterpieces from local artists such as Nicola Parente and Wendy Wagner. Musician extraordinaire Allen Shamblin, who recently entered the Songwriting Hall of Fame, wooed the crowd with his chart-topping hits “He Walked on Water” and “I Can’t Make You Love Me.”
Major sponsors for the event are Kroger, Travelers, H-E-B Tournament of Champions, Susan Godfrey, LLP, and Wells Fargo. The Host Committee included Greg P. Audel, Jessica Rossman and Gordon Bethune, Emily Pipkin Blackwell and James Blackwell, Stanley Chan, Carliss Chatman, Nicola Parente and Aaron Courtland, Jennifer Langdon and Joe Crownover, Melanie Malinowski and Andy Cunningham, Robin and Tony Davidson, Lizzie and Scott Fletcher, Nancy and Joe Ford, Tina and Craig Freedman, Jennifer LeGrand Howard, Lenora Noroski and Frank Inselbuch, Karen Walrond and Marcus Jennings, Shelley and Alexander Kaplan, MaryScott Hagle and Daniel Kornberg, Jacqueline S. Martin, Karen McKibben Morris and The Honorable William Morris, Whitney Botsford Morgan, Isabel Cowles Murphy and Christopher Murphy, Marcia and Michael Nichols, Roberta Weldon and James Pipkin, Josie Edwards and Monica Pope, Patricia Delaney and Warren Rawson, Josephine and The Honorable Bill Rice, Dr. Roxanne Riefkohl, Susan and Tom Scotty, Ginya and Clayton Trier, Laurette Veres, and Andrea Ferguson White and The Honorable Bill White.
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