If you’re looking to give a little something back to your city this week, we’ve got the perfect solution. The Long Beach Writers, a group of Wilson High School students dedicated to spreading cultural tolerance through their writing, is having a fundraiser Tuesday night from 6:00-9:00pm at Smooth’s Sports Grille.
But it’s not just for any old cause. The Writers are in the final stages of planning for a trip to visit their pen pals at a high school in West Virginia. Accompanied by Wilson teacher Devon Day and author Oni Vitandham (On The Wings Of A White Horse), the students will visit Washington, D.C. and the tiny Appalachian town (Inwood) to experience a world outside of their own here in Long Beach. Funds from Tuesday night’s event will help the Writers with their travel and other expenses for the trip.
You may remember the LB Writers from a series of articles written by some of the students that were published on lbpost.com. Click here for a sample.
The Wilson students have been writing to the Inwood students – and vice versa – since November, 2007. More than 300 students have participated in the project with the goal of promoting cultural tolerance, despite glaring differences (Inwood is a rural town of just over 2,000 that specializes in growing apples). The two groups have exchanged books that illustrate their way of life; the Wilson students chose Vitandham’s On The Wings Of A White Horse and Alan Sitomer’s Homeboyz, while the Inwood students chose Homer Hickam’s Rocket Boys.
The group has received great support. Senator Dianne Feinstein’s staff has agreed to take the students on a tour of the Capitol when they arrive in Washington. St. Mary Medical Center’s own Dr. Mauricio Heilbron, who sent shockwaves through the community when he published this article in the Press-Telegram last year, has been one of the LB Writers’ biggest supporters. Day has done the bulk of the fundraising work herself for nearly the past year, receiving donations from Councilmember Gary DeLong, Mayor Bob Foster, Senator Alan Lowenthal and others.
Admission to Tuesday night’s event is $40 per person, which includes appetizers, live music and a silent auction. Tax deductible donations can also be made. Help the LB Writers reach their goal.
By Ryan ZumMallen, Managing Editor
Disclosure: Smooth’s Sports Grille is an advertiser of the lbpost.com.