Charity Times Magazine - LITERACY FOUNDATION NAMES SPOKESPERSON

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LITERACY FOUNDATION NAMES SPOKESPERSON

MONTREAL - The Literacy Foundation is proud to announce that Marie-France Bazzo will be the spokesperson for its 20th anniversary.

Already concerned by the problem of illiteracy, Ms Bazzo agreed with no hesitation and much enthusiasm to lend her voice to the cause. This alliance will kick off on September 8, 2009-International Literacy Day-at the launch of the Foundation's 20th anniversary.

The Foundation may be celebrating its 20th birthday this year, but unfortunately there are still thousands of illiterate people in Quebec. In all, there are 800,000 Quebecers for whom reading and writing remain an insurmountable barrier. For this anniversary, the Foundation and Ms Bazzo hope to put an end to the loud silence surrounding this problem, which affects one Quebecer in six.

For the new spokesperson, this reality is quite unacceptable: "the thirst for knowledge, for me, is the most inspiring value to be transmitted. It's what I work for, and what I believe in. Reading and writing are by far the best means of achieving that. It's inconceivable that our knowledge society should allow the problem of illiteracy to hamper its development. It's high time to act."

Without doubt, this great communicator, a sociologist by training, will harness her conviction in order to raise the general public's awareness of the impact of illiteracy on the development of Quebec society

Ms. Bazzo was always interested in media and culture, and started out with radio station CIBL-FM before moving in 1985 to CBC French-language radio. For four years, she co-hosted the unforgettable Plaisirs with Pierre Bourgault, before running her very own shows, including Indicatif présent, which won a special place in Radio Canada listeners' hearts.

On TV, Ms Bazzo was one of the well-known Bande des six before masterfully hosting Il va y avoir du sport for Télé-Québec-for which she twice won the Prix Gémeaux as best host of a magazine program. In Spring 2006, Marie-France founded Les Productions Bazzo Bazzo and threw herself with gusto into Bazzo.tv. Since launching that venture, she has continued marrying genres with intelligence, a light touch and panache.