Sunday, March 19, 2017

Literacy – Spanning the US :: Martin Co FL :: Chicago IL :: Arizona


Library foundation honors longtime volunteeer [sic]
Palm Beach Post: 3.02.2017 by Michelle Piasecki

When Leo Clancy first suggested that the Library Foundation of Martin County help adults who couldn’t read, it was difficult to get people who would admit they needed help.

So instead of letting them come to the program, Donna Musso, the program’s teacher, brought it to them.

“Our whole theme was we would go to the neighborhoods,” Clancy, 84, said. “In the beginning, we went anywhere and everywhere … even restaurants.”

The Library Foundation recently honored Clancy with the Kiplinger Literacy Award for his service. Clancy served on the Library Foundation Board from 2006 to 2012. During that time, he served as treasurer, vice president and president, and he has worked for causes such as adult literacy and raised the money to build an add-on to the Cummings Library in Palm City.

Clancy found his passion for volunteering when he retired from his job as the world-wide chief human resources officer for Booz Allen Hamilton, a strategy and technology consulting firm.

“I have been in fundraising for a long time,” said Clancy, who has lived in Palm City for 23 years. “I went to people who were well-to-do and generous. There is a segment of our society who are very generous with their time and money.”

His efforts, especially in the area of adult literacy, is something that Clancy still feels passionate about, even though he isn’t as involved as he once was.

“The need is absolutely immense,” he said about adult literacy. “It’s amazing the number of people who drop out of high school at a young age. My thought was that these are forgotten people who have no one to speak with them, and they won’t speak for themselves.”   READ MORE @

'Intense' surge in citizenship interest strains literacy programs
Chicago Tribune: 3.02.2017 by Denise Crosby

What a difference a few months — and a new president — can make.

When I showed up at one of the Dominican Literacy Center's citizenship classes before November's election, there were a couple of dozen students in attendance.

These days, those class sizes have almost tripled, and because of the large number, "we had to split into two classes and find another teacher to help us out," said Sister Kathleen Ryan, executive director of the Dominican Literacy Center.

@familyfocus_org 
Family Focus is among the Fox Valley agencies experiencing a similar swell. Previous workshops introducing the citizenship process had between 20 to 30 people, said youth development coordinator Julian Vargas. But at the most recent workshop Saturday, more than 200 Aurora-area residents showed up. Because employees, working 12 hours that day, were able to only sign up 95, the rest "were told to come back on Monday," Vargas said.  READ MORE @

@supportadulted
80,000 Pima County Adults Don't Have Diploma or GED
Arizona Adult Literacy Week celebrates those who've worked to overcome literacy challenges.
Arizona Public Media: 3.06.2017 by Andrea Kelly

More than 80,000 adults in Pima County do not have a high school diploma or GED, according to Pima Community College.

That statistic makes them less likely to have a job, and their children mirror their prospects, said Regina Suitt, a vice president of adult basic education at Pima Community College. She says the best indicator of how a child will do in school is his mother's education.

“The more we help mothers and parents, the more we’re helping children," Suitt said.
Gov. Doug Ducey declared this Arizona Adult Literacy Week, a chance to celebrate those who overcame the kind of barriers that crop up when someone doesn’t finish high school.

A high school diploma or GED is one indicator of a person’s literacy, Suitt said.  LISTEN

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