Rock 'n Roll All Skate benefit to aid WordPlay's literacy mission

If you ever find yourself reminiscing about the days of roller rinks, rock & roll and swirling disco balls, Thursday evening’s Rock ‘n Roll All Skate is for you.
 
The 21-and-up event benefits WordPlay, the Northside-based nonprofit that provides tutoring, literacy and creative writing programs for students, including the recent Louder Than a Bomb high school spoken word program.
 
“WordPlay’s double approach — bolstering literacy along with guiding kids to tell their own stories — does more than give the kids knowledge and tools for lifelong personal enrichment,” says Laurie Pike, writer and digital consultant who serves as a tutor at WordPlay. “It also helps them address tough issues they face in their personal lives in school and out.”
 
That enrichment is so important, according to Pike, because it affords students the opportunity to articulate their experiences in a safe environment where they will receive constructive feedback.
 
“And getting constructive feedback on their artistry builds their self-confidence and self-knowledge,” she says. “I see kids developing a vision and capabilities for taking their lives in new, positive directions.”
 
Pike, who organized the skating event, says she’s fortunate to have grown up middle-class in Cincinnati with access to books and a wealth of literacy-building potential at her fingertips but that families with similar income levels today don’t have the same access.
 
“Today the 53 percent of Cincinnati school kids living below the poverty line deserve extra help to nurture their natural intelligence and love of learning. This is what WordPlay does,” Pike says. “I have seen time and again the power of story-telling and reading to uplift and transform a person.”  
 
Do Good: 

• Find your most fashionable retro attire and order your tickets for Rock 'n Roll All Skate 7:30-10 p.m. Thursday, April 23 at Norwood's Fun Factory.

• Spread the word about Rock 'n Roll All Skate by sharing the Facebook event page with your friends.

• Support WordPlay by donating.