Literacy Spanning the U.S. - Modesto CA, Ocean Co NJ, Schenectady NY, Washington DC

Literacy Spanning the U.S.

Mercedian sets sights on helping others learn to read and write
Modesto Bee: 11.17.2013 by Ramona Giwargis

Pamela Cornelison embarked on a mission nearly five years ago: to help the people of Merced County learn how to read and write English.Without those basic skills, the 69-year-old Mercedian said, people get left behind.“Sometimes all it takes is that feeling of hope,” said Cornelison, the county library’s literacy program coordinator. “No one deserves to be left behind, no matter what they’ve done in their lives.”Seeing the critical need to help adults gain literacy skills, Cornelison launched the Merced County Library’s Read and Succeed-Merced Adult Literacy Program. The free program started with just two people – Cornelison and one learner. Now it’s grown to more than 200 trained tutors, 400 adult students, and 22 people on the waiting list.The students come from all walks of life, Cornelison noted, from an 80-year-old grandmother who wants to break the cycle of poverty to a 16-year-old who dropped out of school after winding up in jail.  READ MORE !

Conversation with Charlotte Fahey
Adult Literacy
Comcastnewsmakers – Candace Kelley, 2013

Charlotte Fahey, Executive Director of Literacy Volunteers of Ocean County, discusses their work to  improve low-level adult literacy in the county.

Effort needed to break cycle of illiteracy

Daily Gazette: 11.21.2013 by Sara Foss

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I began thinking about the issue years ago, while working as a reporter in Birmingham, Ala. During my time there, I wrote an article about a weekly program that provided single mothers with a children’s book at the end of every session they attended; during these sessions, the women read the book and discussed the themes and plot points they might discuss with their kids.
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Unsurprisingly, many of Schenectady’s adults are also struggling. According to Sylvia Jimison, executive director of Literacy Volunteers of America - Mohawk/Hudson Region, there are 65,000 adults in the Capital Region who read at or below fifth-grade level. The organization provides free, one-on-one tutoring throughout the area (full disclosure: I volunteer for them), and Jimison said there’s always a need for volunteers, especially in Schenectady.
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Poor literacy is a hidden problem — one that rarely gets enough attention. But the consequences are far from hidden. We see and hear about them everyday, in the form of high school dropouts and adults who aren’t prepared for the workforce.  READ MORE !

Georgetown Honors D.C. Adult Education Advocate With Legacy Award
Georgetown News: 11.18.2013

Lecester Johnson, a longtime passionate advocate for adult education and local workforce development in Washington, D.C., will be honored as Georgetown’s 2014 John Thompson Jr. Legacy of a Dream Award recipient early next year.

As the executive director of the Academy of Hope (AOH), Johnson has been a strong force for adult education and workforce development for the past two decades. She has led AOH, which has locations in some of the city's underserved areas, for more than seven years and will transition it into an adult charter school next fall.  READ MORE !