Marilee Loruso
Staff Writer

Fun, food, friends and trivia questions from all genres gathered supporters for a good cause at the Pomona Public Library Literacy Service sponsored 16th Annual Trivia Bee at Hinds Pavilion at the Pomona Fairplex.

This event was a fundraiser held by and for the Pomona Public Library for family and adult literacy. Awareness was also a reason for this event.

“The program helps parents see they are their child’s first teacher,” Library Services Manager Muriel Spill said.

Spill added that the literacy program at the library provides free tutoring for adults to promote family literacy. Parents who are enrolled in the program take part in the family literacy program, which is designed for parents to bring reading into the home.

The literacy challenge event included 17 teams with three people for each team. Five high schools including Diamond Ranch High School, Ganesha High School, Garey High School, Pomona Catholic High School and Pomona High School participated in the event. The librarians compiled questions ranging from sports to literature.

“I really wanted to support our school,” said Emily Moreno, a student and participant from Pomona High School.

Moreno, like the other students, was asked to participate in the trivia bee by teachers at their schools.

“It’s really important because nowadays a lot of people can’t read and write well and it supports it,” Isaura Guerrero, a student and participant from Pomona High School, said of the literacy program and trivia bee.

The high school round opened the event and three adult rounds followed. There were three rounds within the last round including the winners from the previous rounds. Rounds one and two included adult teams from Associated Pomona Teachers, Friends of the Pomona Public Library, Pomona Breakfast Optimist Club, Kiwanis Club of Pomona, Pomona Cultural Arts Commission, Pomona Host Lions Club, Kiwanis Club of Greater Pomona, Pomona Breakfast Lions Club, Pomona Municipal Management Club, Pomona Police Officers’ Association and Pomona Rotary Club.

Barry Dolgovin, a second year participant and member of the Pomona Police Association’s team said that he came back because of the fun he had last year and because of what the library and the program does for the kids.

The library holds this event each year to showcase the literacy program and to raise money to supply books and instructional supplies to those enrolled in the program.

“I look forward to it each year,” Library Director and Quiz Master Greg Shapton said. “It’s a fun night to raise money for the program.”

For more information on the literacy program please contact the Pomona Public Library at (909) 620-2043.

Marilee Lorusso can be reached at mlorusso@ulv.edu.

.