PWC’s 12th Annual Power of Words Breakfast, In Person and Online Edition

On Wednesday, September 8, PWC held its 12th annual Power of Words Breakfast! This year’s event was held both in person and online. We had a cozy but delicious hot breakfast provided by the Newport Restaurant.

Terry Marcotte graciously returned to emcee the event. Local musical talent Christine Graves started us off with her profound song, Sparrow Parable. This was followed by a powerful and touching land acknowledgement made by former PWC learner Hélène. We showed videos of seven PWC learners (Sajida, Farah, Heather, Hussam, Melanie, Glaucia, and Murilo) telling us their story and achievements over the past year, as well as a special testimonial made by Ruth, Sajida’s tutor. Our special guest speaker was Isobel Granger, who gave a very inspiring talk about literacy, apartheid, and standing up for individual rights – never let them put you behind the curtain! Margaret Macdonald, President of the PWC Board of Directors, spoke about what literacy and PWC mean to her, and Executive Director Dee Sullivan concluded the event with the launch of our annual book draw and the announcements of PWC’s involvement in the Ottawa Community Lighting Program (OTTAWA sign lit up with PWC’s colours) and the special partnership with Perfect Books. Perfect Books generously gave 10% of all sales on September 8 to our program to celebrate International Literacy Day!

Don’t worry if you missed it. You can see all this great content now on PWC’s YouTube channel! Be sure to like the video and leave a comment to let us know your thoughts on literacy and the inspiring words of our contributors.

Watch the Power of Words Breakfast 2021