Literary Arts is proud to announce the return of Bank of America as our exclusive Title Sponsor for the Portland Book Festival in 2018. We are so grateful for Bank of America’s support, with special thanks to Roger Hinshaw, Bank of America’s Market President in Oregon and SW Washington. Bank of America’s leadership in the community and continued support of Literary Arts help influence Oregon’s legacy by investing in what makes our state such a vibrant place to live: the people.
As the Title Sponsor of the Portland Book Festival (formerly Wordstock), Bank of America is a making an important statement about the value of literature. At Literary Arts, we continue to strive to make the Festival as inclusive as possible and offer low-cost tickets to promote accessibility, including free tickets to all attendees 17 years old or younger. Ticket sales only cover 11% of the cost of the festival. Lead sponsors, like Bank of America, unite booklovers and the authors who inspire us by keeping ticket prices low.
Bank of America is committed to supporting the work of nonprofits who strive to make the local community a better place to live, especially those nonprofits focused on workforce development and education, basic needs and community development, and empowering and investing in women. They have been serving Oregon for more than 120 years, and last year gave more than $2.5 million to local nonprofits. Literary Arts is delighted to be counted among the many deserving community organizations involved with Bank of America. For more information about their work in the community, please visit www.bankofamerica.com/oregon.
“We’ve been supporting Literary Arts for many years now, primarily their College Essay Mentoring Project and Writers in the Schools. We’ve seen first-hand the impact their Youth Programs have on engaging students,” said Monique Barton, Bank of America’s Portland-based Senior Vice President. “And we’re honored to again support the Portland Book Festival, an important community convening.”
Through this partnership, Bank of America will continue to support Literary Arts’ Youth Programs, especially the College Essay Mentoring Project, which provides one-on-one mentoring for high school students working on their college admissions and scholarship essays. In the past year, 82 mentors assisted 188 high school seniors at Benson, Franklin, Gresham, Madison, and Roosevelt high schools through this program. In 2017/2018, we expanded essay mentoring to Gresham high school, where 93% of participants were first-generation college applicants. With Bank of America’s support, Literary Arts helps better prepare local students to excel in college and compete in the 21st-century workplace and generates excitement around writing.
Andrew Proctor, the Executive Director of Literary Arts, noted, “We so value the leadership role that Bank of America has taken in supporting the festival as a Title Sponsor. For years, they have been committed corporate partners in our education work. Their returning as Title Sponsor is a key investment in the Festival’s future. We want to thank Bank of America for all the support they offer throughout the community.”
The Portland Book Festival is the state’s largest gathering of readers, writers, and literary organizations together in a physical space. In 2017, 10,000 booklovers gathered downtown, including 1,550 young people who received free admission. The 2018 Festival will be held on Saturday, November 10, and will return to the Portland Art Museum and surrounding SW Park blocks.
We look forward to sharing a memorable festival with all of you! Stay tuned for ticketing information and this year’s author line-up announcement on Thursday, September 6.
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