Lunch-4-Literacy on Tuesday features Denise Kiernan, raises grant money

A Tuesday luncheon will feature Denise Kiernan, author of “The Girls of Atomic City,” and it will raise money for literacy grants.

Lunch–4-Literacy has been organized by Altrusa International of Oak Ridge and the Oak Ridge Breakfast Rotary Club. It starts at 11:30 a.m. Tuesday at the Oak Ridge High School.

“The purpose of the joint effort is to provide grants to help improve literacy in Oak Ridge and Anderson and Roane counties,” a press release said. “Each year, the grants are awarded to selected recipients. In 2013, $23,532.99 was awarded.”

Tickets are $40 each, and they are available from Altrusa and Oak Ridge Breakfast Rotary Club members or they can be purchased at The Ferrell Shop at Jackson Square and Mr. K’s used book store next to Big Kmart in Oak Ridge. Tickets will also be available at the door. All tickets include a catered lunch. All proceeds from the event go to support local literacy programs, the press release said.

The Oak Ridge High School is at 1450 Oak Ridge Turnpike.

The grants awarded in 2013 were:

• Aid for Distressed Families in Appalachian Counties—$1,000;
• Andersonville Elementary School—$1,000;
• Bowers Elementary School—$2,051;
• Girls Inc.—$2,500;
• Jefferson Middle School—$4,860;
• Briceville and Dutch Valley elementary schools—$2,935;
• Norris Middle School—$833;
• Oliver Springs Middle School—$1,345.99;
• Roane Imagination Library—$200;
• Trinity Outreach Center of Hope—$3,500; and
• Woodland Elementary School—$3,308.

“The Lunch-4-Literacy Luncheon is located the Oak Ridge High School’s beautiful open and spacious cafeteria,” the press release said. “It is always a most enjoyable event and always features great food, good fun, and excellent speakers.

“The 2014 luncheon will be a special treat for many Oak Ridgers who have achieved fame both locally and nationally. Not only will they be the focus of the talk by the featured speaker, they will be given special invitations and prominently included in the luncheon. They are our very own ‘girls of Atomic City.’

“These women are well known by many of you, and they will take great pride in being asked to help raise funds for literacy. They are just that way, they give their all in anything they undertake. After all, they were key contributors to the winning of World War II. What else would be expected of them?”

The press release said “The Girls of Atomic City” is an important literary work on the history of the Manhattan Project focused here in Oak Ridge.

“Kiernan tells the story through the eyes of the ‘girls of Atomic City,’ which really means she has used some of our most valued citizens who actually lived the history,” the release said. “She has let them tell their stories and has wrapped scientific facts and details around the human interest inherent in these marvelous ladies with whom she has grown as close as family.”

The release said Kiernan has become a nationwide ambassador for Oak Ridge at her numerous book signings, and the book has gone as high as No. 7 on the New York Times Best Seller list.

Items to be auctioned at the Lunch-4-Literacy to raise money for literacy grants include:

1. Dinner Behind the Fence! A dinner for 10 guests on the night of the Lunch-4-Literacy event with fine wine, good food, and wartime stories featuring Colleen Black and Kiernan, who will attend and share more humorous and unusual details of her research. The bidding starts at $1,000 and the dinner is set for 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, March 18.
2. Dinner and wine at Ruth Chris Steakhouse for eight guests, with the date to be determined later.
3. Framed Ed Westcott photograph of the Calutron Girls that started it all, resulting in Kiernan writing her book.
4. A beautiful set of earrings from Karen’s Jewelers, one of the literacy lunch’s long-term sponsors.