LitNet Honors Lee Bank and its English Learners at Annual Celebration
LitNet's annual fundraiser honored Lee Bank, but the real speeches came from the students.
Pictured: LitNet Learner Liaison Leesly Collins, LitNet Learner/Lee Bank Employee Lina Barstow, and Thomas Barstow. Photo by Ed Acker
LitNet threw its annual fundraiser at Barrington Hall on October 3, and the night belonged to the learners as much as the honoree. Lee Bank took home this year's honors for its partnership with the literacy nonprofit, but the speeches came from two of LitNet's own students, Lina Barstow and Gleison Pena-Ariel, both now Lee Bank employees, who talked about what it took to build a life here after arriving from Colombia and Brazil.
Their tutors stood up next to tell the rest of the story. Dinner came from Amici Restaurant, run by fellow LitNet learner Octavio Nallin, and Alex Torres and his Latin Orchestra closed out the night with salsa. Thirty-five years in, LitNet's pitch is straight forward and important: free education, no strings attached.
All Photos by Ed Acker.
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After a decade of writing for RI (along with many other publications and organizations) Jamie took over as editor in 2025. He has a masters in journalism from NYU, a wonderful wife, two kids and a Carolina dog named Zelda.
