Literacy – Spanning the US :: Fremont OH :: Kalamazoo MI :: Lee Co AL

Literacy: Spanning the U.S.

ABLE aspires to expand outreach to more adults

Advertiser Tribune: 8.09.2017 by Nicole Walby

The ABLE program — offered through Vanguard-Sentinel Career and Technology Centers — is to refocus to reach more adults in need of educational resources.

ABLE, also known as Adult Basic and Literacy Education program, is being re-branded to the Aspire program. The ABLE program was established more than 50 years ago. Through the Ohio Department of Higher Education, the program’s name is being changed to provide a greater outreach and a fresh appeal to adults’ desires for personal and professional success, according to Gail Browning, Aspire coordinator.

“We are more than the GED,” Browning said. “We want to be able to help our clients understand and succeed in their programs.”

The program also is to carry the tag line of “Learn more. Earn more.”

This focus, she said, will help their clients find and understand a specific career path that is best suited for them.

The program still is to feature courses in math, reading, writing, high school equivalency prep, college prep test, workforce readiness, English-as-a-second-language classes and distance learning.  READ MORE @

@KzooLiteracy

Literacy is Not a Given for Everyone

South County News: 8.04.2017 by Sue Moore

It’s amazing in this day of Twitter, Facebook and widespread web usage that there are many adults who can’t read. It is estimated 13 percent of the population in Kalamazoo County have a hidden reading problem, leading to trouble passing a driver’s license test or even finding their way using a road map. So many other issues for non-readers include filling out medical and job application forms and reading instructions, ballots – and even when shopping.

What it takes to help people who have been hiding this disability for many years are some dedicated tutors who can help turn someone’s life around, says Michael Evans, head of the Kalamazoo Literacy Council.

A Vicksburg area resident who has been tutoring for 10 years, Liz Polasek, has words of encouragement for those who might like to give tutoring a try. “It gives me personal satisfaction to help students taking the opportunity to gain skills that will improve their lives in untold ways. I do it because I have the time, and with the support of the Literacy Council resources I can play a part in helping someone else gain skills to that make such a difference,” she says.

“Whenever a student discovers a word in print that has special meaning to them, completes a lesson or passes a test, I share in that success. Each student has a personal goal that the tutor helps them to work toward, with lots of intermediate goals and celebrations,” Polasek says.  READ MORE @

@LeeCoLit

Lee County Literacy Coalition names new directors, starts reading campaign

Auburn Villager: 8.10.2017

The Lee County Literacy Coalition — a nonprofit United Way organization provides free literacy tutoring to adult learners — has welcomed two new directors.

Stacie Money has joined the organization as the administrative director and Tina Tatum is the new program director.

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Adult illiteracy is a problem that affects people in more ways that most people realize. Reading is necessary for all the things you do on a daily basis without any extra thought — shopping, reading road signs, banking, taking medicine, finding a phone number, passing a driver’s license test, trying a new recipe and so much more.

Adult illiteracy can also be embarrassing, and asking for help is extremely difficult. The goal of the new directors is to reach more people in the community through programs that can benefit them and span topics like financial literacy ad driver’s license courses, among others.  READ MORE @