Shoji Tabuchi to perform at annual bookcase fundraiser

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BRANSON MO NEWS: Children who grow up without learning to read are at a great disadvantage when it comes to their success later in life, Conway Bookcase Project Founder Jim Davidson said.
“Unfortunately, this is the case for several million of our nation’s children,” he said.
According to a study in late April by the U.S. Department of Education and the National Institute of Literacy, 32 million adults in the U.S. can’t read. A part of the reason for this statistic is that 61 percent of low-income families have no books in the home for their preschool children at a crucial time when reading development takes place.
According to the U.S. Department of Justice, 85 percent of all juveniles who interface with the juvenile court system are functionally illiterate. Another source, BeginToRead.com, said more than 70 percent of inmates in America’s prisons cannot read above a fourth-grade level.
“The inability to read is silently eating away at America, ruining lives, costing billions of dollars, and pulling down the ability of the United States to compete with the rest of the world,” the DOJ said.
To address this need, the Conway Bookcase Project for the past 13 years has provided quality, personalized oak bookcases, and a starter set to books to Head Start children being reared in low-income families, Davidson said.
“This project is all volunteer, giving back, and uses no tax money or grants of any kind,” he said.
To raise funds to build the bookcases, the committee hosts an annual banquet.
This year’s banquet, which is the 10th annual, will begin at 6:30 p.m. Thursday at the Bob & Betty Courtway Middle School cafeteria.
Shoji Tabuchi, well known entertainer from Branson, Missouri, will provide the entertainment.
Seating is limited and tickets, ($15.95 each or a table of 8 for $125.00) can be obtained …