The 17th National Conference on Family Literacy touched lives from bustling Times Square to sunny Sesame Street – and everywhere in between – through some exciting firsts at this year’s Conference.

In addition to receiving $5,000 for her family literacy program and a free trip, Toyota Family Literacy Teacher of the Year Katy Kibbey was featured on an electronic billboard in Times Square. This new opportunity will help elevate the issue of family literacy to millions of people across the country and the world.

At the Conference opening session, Kibbey’s speech inspired the audience and brought tears to their eyes as she described the role of family literacy educators:

“Despite a surrounding community that thinks Horton has lost his mind and fails to believe in the worth of these tiny citizens, Horton is determined to help the WHOs. And how does he do this? It’s by no great act of himself despite being a mighty elephant and withstanding hardships at the hands of the Wickersham gang. No, Horton simply believes in the value of the WHOs. In his small act of encouragement, he helps the WHOs to find their voice in society, raising such a Who-ville hullabaloo that “from that speck on that clover/Their voices were heard! They rang out clear and clean/And the elephant smiled. “Do you see what I mean?.../They proved they ARE persons, no matter how small.”

That’s just me. That’s what I do. I’m just your everyday Horton encouraging, believing, strengthening the voices of some very special WHOs, the families I serve.”

The Conference also is known for attracting top experts, celebrities and passionate advocates for reading who often have personal stories of how literacy has impacted them in a profound way.

This year, NCFL secured not one but two speakers who fall into all three of those categories: Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist, best-selling author and current Newsweek columnist Anna Quindlen; and Byron Pitts, the Emmy-winning CBS national correspondent, who rose to fame after overcoming illiteracy and a stuttering problem.

Quindlen broke her rule of never accepting a speaking engagement on the weekends – a rule she enacted to preserve time with family. But the Conference, its attendees and the goals of family literacy resonated with the author of How Reading Changed My Life.  And her message on the transformative power of reading resonated strongly with the audience of committed educators.

Pitts was the keynote speaker at the Conference banquet.

Raised by a single mother in a working-class Baltimore neighborhood, Pitts conquered dyslexia and a speech impediment with support from his family, a college roommate and educators.

He reports some of the world’s biggest stories – from being at Ground Zero immediately following 9-11 to covering the war in Iraq as an embedded reporter. But Pitts shared a much more personal story with the banquet crowd – how his mother and his determination were the driving forces behind his success when others labeled him as stupid or mentally retarded.

Pitts then led the audience through a mystery literary caper and online scavenger hunt to highlight how technology affects traditional literacy and learning.

The banquet concluded with the Verizon Tech Savvy Awards, a joint program instituted by NCFL, former First Lady of Iowa Christie Vilsack and the Verizon Foundation. It is the first national award designed to provide an incentive for grassroots, community-based nonprofit organizations and schools to create programs that demystify technology for parents, enabling them to better guide their children in the use of new media.

The national winner, the Technology Goes Home program in Boston, received a $25,000 award to continue and expand its program. Programs in New York; Minneapolis; Tuscon, Ariz.; and Santa Barbara, Calif., received $5,000 as regional winners.

At the closing session, Sesame Workshop President Gary Knell discussed how his organization, like NCFL, shares the similar goals of raising literacy skills among children and families. Both organizations are pursuing opportunities that incorporate technology into increased and more effective learning.

And, he had a little help from Grover, the first Sesame Street Muppet to make an appearance at the Conference. Knell and Grover used humor to focus on the importance of integrating technology into the learning experiences of all families. The light-hearted exchange was emblematic of what Sesame Street does so well – engage and entertain viewers while at the same time imparting important lessons.

NCFL was proud to provide so many first-time opportunities for inspiration, education and communication.

What didn’t change is that the Conference continues to provide participants with an opportunity to re-energize and rededicate themselves to the important work they do throughout the nation. They heard perspectives and messages from authors, journalists, students, colleagues and other experts who have a deep appreciation for the life-changing impacts that reading and learning offer each individual.