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MR <br />t' O U <br />June 13, 2016 <br />The Honorable Robert Solari, Chairman <br />Board of County Commissioners <br />1801 27th Street <br />Vero Beach 32960-3388 <br />Dear Chairman Solari and Commissioners: <br />The late poet Laura (Riding) Jackson made her home in Indian River County, residing in a <br />cracker -style house in Wabasso. She was a devoted mentor of young writers and an avid <br />advocate of literary arts. In keeping with her spirit, the Laura (Riding) Jackson Foundation, <br />organized as a nonprofit 501 C3, relocated her home to the Environmental Learning Center and <br />maintains it for public appreciation and as a venue for our programs. Our mission is "to preserve <br />and interpret the home of the late poet, Laura (Riding) Jackson, and to promote literary programs <br />that nurture a passion for the written word." <br />April 2016 was National Poetry Month, established by the Academy of American Poets to widen <br />public attention to the art of poetry, to living poets, to our complex poetic heritage, and to <br />celebrate poetry's ability to sustain itself in the many places where it is practiced and <br />appreciated. To join the national focus on poetry, LRJF offered public programs that were well- <br />received and well -attended by residents and visitors to Indian River County, including students <br />from our local high schools. Brochures that detail our history and programs, such as Teen <br />Writers Group and the Annual Poetry BBQ that features three prominent and acclaimed poets, <br />are included for your information. <br />April is passed but we do have another goal for National Poetry Month. We request the County <br />Commission establish the position of Poet Laureate, an honorary appointment designed to raise <br />the community's poetry awareness. Poetry is a tremendously popular vehicle for personal <br />expression. From the rhymes small children hear and create to the increasingly worldly <br />perceptions mature poets write, to recollections in our senior years, the poems we write bear <br />witness to our American way of life. <br />Respectfully, <br />Marie Stiefel, Chair <br />Laurel Riding Jackson Foundation <br />127 <br />