In Recognition of Contributions To Community Literacy Efforts
The inaugural Red Balloon Awards, presented by Traveling Stories, will honor five literacy heroes including IDW Publishing. The event will benefit the organization’s StoryTent program, which provides free reading support to more than 2,000 underserved children in San Diego every year.
Winners of the award are selected based on the literary works they create, their advocacy efforts and the financial support they provide to community programs.
While IDW’s trophy cabinets may already be overflowing with Eisner and Harvey awards, Publisher/CEO Ted Adams said this award is “sometime entirely different.”
“It recognizes the work that the employees of IDW have done to support a local non-profit that is making our community better,” said Adams. “Everyone who works at IDW knows how important literacy and the joy of reading is to having a happy and productive life.”
IDW will receive their award at the Red Balloon Awards dinner and gala event on Saturday, September 17, 2016 from 6 to 9:30 pm at the San Diego Woman’s Club, 2557 Third Ave., San Diego, CA 92130.
Other award recipients include Kevin Eastman (co-creator of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles), Las Patronas, Waypoint Public, and Don & Jo Soderquist. Traveling Stories will also announce a Volunteer of the Year on the night of the event.
This year’s gala, with the theme “Cirque du Livre” (Circus of Books), will begin with a cocktail reception with music by DJ Marcus More and live cirque performances. The event includes a silent auction. In addition, VIP guests will have the chance to visit with former professional U.S. soccer star Landon Donovan for a special cocktail hour.
The awards show will be hosted by Emily Moberly, San Diego Woman of the Year Finalist and Founder of Traveling Stories, and 10-year-old Malika Shaw, a regular attendee at the City Heights StoryTent. Shaw was the guest of honor at Traveling Stories’ 2014 event “A Night Out So They Can Read.” She was recently reclassified from a below-average reader to an accelerated reader at school. Her mom credits this improvement to the weekly visits Shaw makes to the Traveling Stories StoryTent.
“The Red Balloon Awards is a chance to celebrate the transformative power of reading,” said Emily Moberly, Founder of Traveling Stories. “The funds raised from this event are vital for ensuring that children in San Diego become confident readers and attain every opportunity to flourish.”
Key sponsors for the Red Balloon Awards include Mission Federal Credit Union, IDW Publishing, Mike Hess Brewing Company, and St. Petersburg Vodka. Event planning services are provided by Live Life Shredded.
Early-bird ticket registration for the Red Balloon Awards is $65 per person ($75 after 8/15/16) or $450 for a table of eight ($600 for a table of 8 after 8/15/16), while sponsorship opportunities range from $450 to $10,000.
For information on how to purchase tickets or become a sponsor while helping local children and their families fall in love with reading, contact Alyssa Humbert at 619. 919.5115 or Alyssa@travelingstories.org.