ST. THOMAS AQUINAS COLLEGE TO CO-SPONSOR 18TH ANNUAL ROCKLAND COUNTY STORYTELLING FESTIVAL "EVERYONE HAS A STORY TO TELL"

ST. THOMAS AQUINAS COLLEGE TO CO-SPONSOR 
18TH ANNUAL ROCKLAND COUNTY STORYTELLING FESTIVAL
“EVERYONE HAS A STORY TO TELL”

(October 31, 2013—Sparkill, NY)– St. Thomas Aquinas College will co-sponsor the 18th AnnualRockland County Storytelling Festival on Sunday, November 17, 2013, 1:30 p.m. - 4:30 p.m. at the Haverstraw King’s Daughters Public Library in Garnerville (NY), announces Dr. Michael Shaw, Professor of Education at the College. This event is free and welcomes families, educators and the public. Light refreshments will be provided.

This multicultural event, “Everyone Has a Story to Tell”, is designed to celebrate storytelling in the community. The event will feature Storytellers Felix Pitre, Pamela Schembri and Elise Krakower. Christopher Agostino will present his unique Story Faces program where he illustrates stories with face painting. Other highlights include student tellers from Story for Kids Club at Clarkstown North High School, Story Crafts for young children, and more.

This event is supported by a grant from First Niagara Foundation and is co-sponsored by: St. Thomas Aquinas College; Rockland Teachers’ Center; Haverstraw King’s Daughters Public Library; Howard T. Phillips Jr. and The Town of Haverstraw Board; Union Restaurant and Bar Latino; Rockland Reading Council; Alexander Gromack, Supervisor of the Town of Clarkstown; Green Meadow Waldorf School and Kastin and Newman Orthodontics. The First Niagara Foundation awarded St. Thomas Aquinas College a $5,000 grant to support the “Enhancing and Enriching Literacy Across the Curriculum” series of events for students, teachers and community members. The Rockland County Storytelling Festival is the third event in the series.

“The Rockland County Storytelling Festival is a joyful multicultural celebration of the power of story to light up the lives of children and all people. It is a free event with extraordinary tellers who enrich and enhance literacy,” said Shaw. “It is also hands on for young children who create Story Crafts. Rockland County Executive C. Scott Vanderhoef has proclaimed November 17, 2013 as ‘Storytelling Day in the County of Rockland’. Everybody has a story to tell. Come and enjoy the day,” Shaw added.

About First Niagara Foundation
First Niagara Foundation is a not for profit corporation founded in 1998. The Foundation is committed to supporting organizations in the communities in which we live and work with specific focus on youth and education, community development and neighborhood revitalization. In 2012 the Foundation contributed more than $10 million in charitable grants to community partners. For more information, visit www.firstniagara.com/community.

For more information and to register, contact Dr. Shaw at mshaw@stac.edu or 845-398-4079 or Deborah Studnitzer at the Rockland Teachers’ Center at 845-553-9516 or dstudnitzer@optonline.net.

St. Thomas Aquinas College is an independent liberal arts college located on 60 acres in Rockland County, NY which provides education at the undergraduate and graduate levels. The College’s 2,800 full and part time students can choose from more than 100 different majors, minors, specializations, and dual degree programsacross three Schools: Arts & Sciences, Business, and Education. The College is recognized by U.S. News & World Report in the Top-Tier for Regional Universities, by Colleges of Distinction in both its New York and Catholic editions, by Affordable Colleges Online as a top College in New York for Return on Investment, and is included as a Military Friendly School®. St. Thomas Aquinas College is accredited by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools; its School of Education is accredited by National Council for Accreditation ofTeacher Education (NCATE); and its School of Business is accredited by the International Assembly for CollegiateBusiness Education (IACBE). For more information, visit www.stac.edu.

Press Release
For Immediate Release
Contact: Danielle N. Kobryn, 845-398-4016, dkobryn@stac.edu
Contributing Writer: Dr. M. Shaw