Nearly 20 table sponsors have already signed up to support the Rotary Club of Dearborn’s “Shares & Cares” breakfast fundraiser on Friday, April 1, 2011, at the Hyatt Regency in Dearborn.

Proceeds from the event will benefit the programs of Pro-Literacy Detroit, Michigan’s largest literacy agency which provides services to adult learners at no cost.

“We are delighted with the outstanding number of sponsorships we’ve received from community leaders, local businesses and organizations along with other Rotary clubs,” said Margaret Blohm, 2010-11 president of the Rotary Club of Dearborn.

Table sponsors include Rotary District 6400, Dearborn Rotary Foundation, the Rotary Clubs of Dearborn Heights, Detroit AM, Fairlane Sunrise, and Grosse Pointe Rotary along with the HFCC Federation of Teachers, Pro-Literacy Detroit, and Sanford Brown College.

Individual sponsors include Michigan Representative George Darany, Rick Goward, Kerrie Peterson, Sue Surducan, Jim Thorpe, Brian Whiston, Judge Richard Wygonik and Bob Ziolkowski.

Each table provides seating for 10 guests to attend a free breakfast program emceed by WWJ Newsradio 950 personality and Dearborn resident Matt Roush with remarks by Pro-Literacy Detroit CEO Margaret Williamson, volunteers and adult learners.

Barnes & Noble of Fairlane Green in Allen Park is providing beautiful leather-bound book centerpieces for the event, and will in turn be donated to Pro-Literacy Detroit, www.proliteracydetroit.org. The bookstore will also hold a Bookfair on April 1 to benefit the agency.

It is estimated that 47 percent of metro Detroiters are unable to read and that 44 percent of Michigan adults are unable to read above the fourth grade level. During the past 25 years, Pro-Literacy Detroit has tutored more than 12,000 adult learners and trained over 8,000 tutors to help metro Detroiters over the age of 16 to read.

The “Shares & Cares” fundraising breakfast is one of several efforts to benefit literacy programs now underway throughout Rotary District 6400, which includes southeast Michigan and southwest Ontario, Canada.

“We are extremely grateful to Rotarians for their support, by volunteering as certified tutors and through their generous financial and book donations,” said Williamson.

The cost to become a table sponsor is only $100 which covers the cost of breakfast for the sponsor and nine guests. Breakfast fellowship will begin at 7:30 a.m., and the event will conclude by 9 a.m. on Friday, April 1.

“If you don’t know any of our table sponsors and would like to attend the event, please let us know,” added Blohm. “We’ll make sure you have an opportunity to participate.”

For more details about becoming a sponsor or attending the event, please email event chair Amy Bazzy at ajbazzy@comcast.net or call 313-433-0013.