Evening Cruise and Dinner at Orca Point Lodge

United Way of Southeast Alaska, with generous support from Allen Marine, invites you to join us for an evening cruise, delicious food, and thought provoking conversation at Orca Point Lodge on Thursday, May 31.

Step aboard Allen Marine’s jet-powered catamaran at Don Statter Public Harbor in Auke Bay at 5:30 PM for a 6:00 PM departure.  Enjoy delicious appetizers from Abby's Kitchen while taking part in a thought provoking conversation with Susi Gregg Fowler and Jim Fowler on the importance of early literacy while relaxing in the warm, comfortable, spacious main cabin for the 30 minute ride to Orca Point Lodge on Colt Island for dinner.  Dinner will include grilled wild Alaska salmon or chicken, corn on the cob, rice pilaf, coleslaw, fresh-hot rolls, dessert.  Beer and wine will be available for an additional charge.  Return to Don Statter Harbor at 8:30 PM.

Tickets are $100.00 per person and are available online (below) or in our office (3225 Hospital Drive, Suite 201).  We encourage you to join us for a great evening of fun, delicious food, and thought provoking conversation.

Guest Speakers:
Joining us in conversation, local author Susi Gregg Fowler and illustrator Jim Fowler will share their thoughts on the importance of early literacy in children, the process of writing/illustrating children’s books, and the personal stories behind their books.

Growing up in Juneau in a house filled with music and books, Susi Gregg Fowler attended Antioch College, traveled across the United States, lived in Greece, and ultimately settled back in Juneau.  Susi has written several picture books for young readers including Albertina the Practically Perfect, Beautiful, Circle of Thanks, Fog, When Joel Comes Homes, and When Summer Ends.

Jim Fowler, a landscape painter, grew up on a subsistence farm in Tulsa, Oklahoma, before moving to Alaska in 1973.  Retired from the Alaska Department of Labor as a graphic designer, Jim currently runs a community afterschool art program.  His work is included in numerous private, corporate, and public collections.  Additionally, Jim Fowler is the illustrator of 13 children’s books including a reissue of Phyllis Krasilovsky’s Benny’s Flag, Roxanne Salonen’s First Salmon, Tracia Brown’s Patsy Ann of Alaska, and six of Susi Gregg Fowler's picture books.

The couple is currently working on a new book, Arctic Aesop’s Fables: Twelve Retold Tales, due out in the spring of 2013.  For more information about Susi Gregg Fowler, please visit susigreggfowler.com.  For more information about Jim Fowler, please visit jimfowler.us.

Why a conversation on early education and literacy?
Education is the cornerstone of individual and community success.  Successful completion of high school is crucial for young people to acquire employment suitable for sustaining a family and their health. However, more than 1.2 million children dropping out of high school each year.  With more than 6000 students dropping out each day, that is more than $312 billion in lost wages, taxes, and productivity over their lifetimes.  In Juneau, 5% of district students leave between 7th and 12th grade without a transcript request.  Unfortunately, these numbers are even grimmer for young people of color.  Each year, the Alaska Native dropout rate is approximately twice that of the entire district.

United Way of Southeast Alaska understands that, in order to decrease dropout rates in Southeast Alaska, our focus cannot be on high school students alone.  To address the problem of high school dropouts, United Way of Southeast Alaska encourages early learning by supporting the Born Learning initiative and Dolly Parton's Imagination Library.  Recently, United Way of Southeast Alaska launched a Literacy by Third Grade campaign to help ensure children are reading at grade level by the time they complete third grade.

From kindergarten to third grade, successful readers learn the skills that enable them to understand and find meaning in written text.  Children who have trouble reading at grade level often struggle in school and drop out as a result while successful readers are more likely to graduate on time and be better prepared to enter the workforce.  By placing emphasis on reading success, United Way of Southeast Alaska expects to see graduation rates increase, dropout rates to decrease, and substance abuse rates in young people to decrease.  Utilizing our core strengths — committed community partners and public engagement capacity — we can achieve our goal.

Accessibility Guidelines for Allen Marine Tours:
Guests who require wheelchair assistance to participate must provide advance notice to United Way of Southeast Alaska.  For detailed information about accessibility, please contact the Allen Marine service manager at (888) 289-0081.

Please Note:  Bring a warm jacket to wear on deck and outdoors at Orca Point Lodge.  Restrooms are available at all venues.

Generously donated to United Way of Southeast Alaska by Allen Marine Tours, Inc.  Appetizers donated by Abby's Kitchen.