The Kay Franklin Commemorative Fund Changing lives through literacy
When a person learns to read and write a new world opens up to him, one of discovery and learning. With that comes a feeling of accomplishment, self-worth, and a chance to succeed in life. But for many adults and children lack of literacy skills become a major life stumbling block. Learning becomes difficult, even impossible. Doors of opportunity slam shut.
Kay Franklin helped open many doors by pouring her heart into helping people of all ages and backgrounds to benefit from reading, writing, and learning. A life-long educator, Kay taught reading and writing at all levels, from preschool to college, including teaching college writing to correctional center inmates, as well as to adults seeking college degrees. Kay saw education as a society's great equalizer.
As program director at the Michigan City Public Library, Kay developed the Baby Talk program to encourage mothers to read to their babies, and began Bookmarks at Noon, a book review program. She ran the Writing Out Loud program, which brought diverse authors to the library for public readings and discussion. Her efforts reached out to include people of all ages, races, classes, and lifestyles.
Kay's literacy accomplishments include co-authoring books,Duel for the Dunes and The Indiana Dunes: A Selected Biography, and numerous published works about the dunes and other subjects.
In 1996 Kay lost her courageous fight with cancer. To see that her work continues, the Franklin family, her late husband, Robert, and children, Peter, Karen, and Jennifer, established the Kay Franklin Commemorative Fund-and endowed fund to further literacy and literature particularly, and to keep Kay's contributions and memory alive. The fund seeks to benefit those at risk of illiteracy due to economic and/or cultural disadvantage and make literacy programs available and accessible to all members of the community. "My mother took an active interest in helping integrate reading and writing into their everyday lives," notes Karen Franklin. "She was a mentor to me and too many others. It's no accident that two of her three children went into writing professions." Dr. Robert Franklin passed away in 1999. In 2000 the first grant as made from this fund to expand theBaby Talk program which now has grown to The Baby Talk Consortium and is serving LaPorte County in a much greater capacity.
Writer, educator, activist Kay Franklin left our community many gifts. Her life touched and enriched many lives. Through the Kay Franklin Commemorative Fund, her legacy will continue to be a power for good, a power for literacy in the community forever.
