Altrusa International of Lawrence recently received a prestigious literary award for its role in establishing the River City Reading Festival.

The Lawrence club won the Letha H. Brown Literacy Award during last month’s Altrusa District Eight Conference in Rogers, Ark.

As a first-place winner at the district level, the project will be considered in the international competition.

Altrusa International is an association of business executives and professionals who volunteer for community service projects. A past president, Letha H. Brown, whom the award is named for, made literacy a focus for Altrusa in 1977.

District Eight consists of Altrusa Clubs in Kansas, Oklahoma, Missouri and Arkansas.

The second reading festival is Sept. 27 at Lawrence Public Library, 707 Vt.