The benefit will feature a Mediterranean feast, live entertainment, live and silent auctions, and more.

WAILEA – Book Trust Hawaii will host its seventh annual fundraiser, “Extravaganza: The Odyssey,” on March 23 at the Four Seasons Resort Maui at Wailea.

This Greek-themed literary celebration features a Mediterranean feast by Four Seasons Maui Executive Chef Craig Dryhurst, live entertainment, the opportunity to bid on one-of-a-kind live and silent auction items, and more.

Funded entirely by generous donations, Book Trust Hawaii provides elementary school students the opportunity to select and own books of their choice, resulting in better reading skills and greater family engagement around literacy.

Book Trust Hawaii uniquely delivers choice and ownership of books, which is proven to increase literacy skills and foster lifelong learning.

During the 2018-19 school year, Book Trust will empower over 5,000 students at 14 Title I schools in Hawaii to select 2-3 books monthly and build a personal library of up to 20 books.

“Each year, thousands of children from low-income families in Hawaii start school without ever having owned a book. In areas of poverty, the ratio of books to children is just one book for every 300 children,” said Book Trust Hawaii Director Katie McMillan.

“Book Trust is changing that. We want every child to have an opportunity to fall in love with reading and have access to a brighter future.”

Not only does Book Trust help kids build home libraries full of books they want to read, it also helps teachers use those books in the classroom to build healthy habits of reading and learning.

Over a school year, the percentage of Book Trust students reading at grade level jumps from 31 to 59 percent.

One-hundred percent of the proceeds from Book Trust’s “Extravaganza: The Odyssey” will go toward supporting Book Trust’s literacy program in Hawaii.

For more information, to inquire about event sponsorship or to purchase tickets, contact McMillan at (808) 283-4120 or kmcmillan@booktrust.org. Tickets can also be purchased online at bit.ly/extravaganza2019.

For more information about Book Trust, go to www.booktrust.org.