Record reporter wins literacy award

 From therecord.com http://news.therecord.com/article/415228

September 15, 2008

RECORD STAFF

KITCHENER — A Waterloo Region Record reporter will receive a national award at a ceremony in Toronto Wednesday night for her coverage of literacy issues.

Education reporter Karen Kawawada has been named the 2008 recipient of the Peter Gzowski Literacy Award of Merit, for an article which appeared in the Record in March, 2007.

The story, titled Books and Beyond, profiled adult students at the Literacy Group of Waterloo Region and the challenges they’ve faced in living with low literacy skills. The annual award was created by the ABC Canada Literacy Foundation in 1993 in honour of Gzowski, the late broadcaster and journalist who was passionate about literacy. Kawawada has written several stories on the subject, and said she was surprised to learn how many people struggle with illiteracy — and just how few actually seek the assistance they need. “Somebody I talked to said it was like an invisible disability,” she said. “It does make life much more difficult.” Kawawada said it was also important to highlight the fact there are various levels of illiteracy — some that are much easier to identify than others. “I think a broader definition is applied, and rightly so.” A $1,000 contribution to a literacy organization of the winner’s choice accompanies the award. Kawawada selected the Literacy Group of Waterloo Region as the beneficiary of the 2008 award.  Kawawada joined the Record in 2004, and has worked on the education beat for about two years.