Literacy: Spanning the U.S.
Literacy New Jersey tutoring program is
life-changing for local woman
For Adriana Toledo, who emigrated from Ecuador four
years ago, learning to speak, read and write English has been life-changing.
Ms. Toledo, of Hightstown, can now shop in the grocery
store without frustration and confusion. She feels comfortable talking to her
children’s teachers about their progress. And, recently, the 34-year-old mother
of two received a promotion and raise at work.
“When I first came, I couldn’t speak English,” Ms.
Toledo said. “It was very hard. I felt depression because I couldn’t find a
good job.”
For the last two years, Ms. Toledo has received free
English tutoring through Literacy New Jersey,
a statewide nonprofit organization that provides instruction in reading,
writing, math and speaking English for adult learners. Ms. Toledo is one of
more than 5,100 adults receiving tutoring and other services through the
Literacy New Jersey network.
“The need for adult literacy services in New Jersey,
and across the country, can’t be underestimated,” said Literacy New Jersey CEO
Elizabeth Gloeggler. “Nearly one in five New Jersey adults lacks the basic
literacy skills needed for everyday tasks such as signing a form, adding
numbers for a bank deposit slip, or reading instructions on how to prepare for
a medical test.” READ MORE @
2016 Outstanding Women of Stanislaus County
Linda Lagace, a volunteer
court-appointed special advocate, spends at least 30 hours per month mentoring
and advocating for a 13-year-old developmentally disabled child in foster care.
Through LearningQuest’s adult literacy program she
tutors on a weekly basis. For the past year her client has been a young woman
from Mexico. Lagace an active member of the local Deferred Action for Childhood
Arrivals and Deferred Action for Parents of Americans Immigration Coalition.
She works with the Modesto Peace/Life Center’s homeless project, helping women
and men obtain identification, such as a birth certificate and DMV photo
identification, and is a member of the group’s essay contest committee. A
Riverbank resident, she is also program chairperson for the local chapter of
the Sierra Club. A retired scientist and engineer, she often speaks at high
school career days to encourage girls to explore opportunities in science.
Denise Nordell offers her talents to
many community organizations. Her 10-year volunteer career with LearningQuest
earned her the 2015 Tutor of the Year for Literacy Award. She also helps write
and edit LearningQuest newsletters and marketing materials. One morning a week
is spent at the American Red Cross, where she assists with the annual
Stanislaus Tuolumne Counties Heroes Breakfast and public relations. A number of
other organizations have benefited recently, including the McHenry Mansion,
where she donated 20 newly crocheted antimacassars (doilies that protect the
backrests of 1880s furniture). Nordell served on the Stanislaus Library
Foundation Board for seven years and continues to help with annual fundraising
events. Nine years ago she established the community Sing-A-Long Messiah each
holiday season. Nordell also tutors weekly at Fremont Elementary, donates
knitted items to charity auctions and offers her assistance at many annual
charity events. READ MORE @
Agencies help adults with literacy
On Wednesday, school children across the region will
celebrate the birth of beloved children's author Theodor Seuss Geisel,
otherwise known as Dr. Seuss, who was born March 2, 1904. The event is the
cornerstone of Read Across America Week, sponsored annually by the National
Education Association, to promote literacy in children. Through its website (NEA.org)
and other outreach efforts, the organization offers a variety of tools and
resources for educators to get kids excited about reading.
If you have school-aged children in your life, perhaps
you'll hear about some of these activities this week. Maybe you'll even spend
some time reading together.
But what if you couldn't read? What if the words on
the pages appeared nothing more than foreign characters, or glyphs from a faraway
time?
Unfortunately, that's the case for too many in our
area. And the problem goes beyond the ability to read with children. Low
literacy skills affect every aspect of life — from reading food labels, to
directions on prescription medications, to navigating while driving and
completing job applications.
According to local literacy organization Peninsula
READS' website (peninsulareads.com),
"the 2003 National Assessment of Adult Literacy
found that about 31,120 adults in the Virginia Peninsula Area were either
purely or functionally illiterate. That's more than three times the seating
capacity of the Hampton Coliseum."
Paula Bazemore, Peninsula READS' executive director,
affirmed that data is still valid. In an email to the Daily Press, she wrote,
"Our research still indicates that over 30,000 Peninsula residents are
considered low-level literate."
To combat the problem, the Newport News-based
organization offers a number of programs that address basic literacy and other
life skills — health, financial and English as a second language. It recently
added an eight-week citizenship class as well. Call 757-283-5776 to get on the
list for the next session. The fee is $30.
Joan Peterson, executive director of Literacy for Life, which serves the
greater Williamsburg area, wrote the Daily Press that the organization has
"experienced phenomenal growth, both in the number of learners served and
the types of programs offered. ... We currently have learners from more than 60
countries and who speak over 40 different languages." READ MORE @
Nonprofit needs help improving literacy in Shawnee
County
Workshop to train tutors to be offered in early April
Chances are, if you’re in a crowd of a dozen or more,
you’ll be near a person who’s coping with some form of illiteracy.
The most recent statistics available, compiled in 2003
by the National Assessment of Adult Literacy and
based on the 2000 Census, show 8 percent of the adult population in Shawnee
County lack basic literacy skills.
In an effort to reduce that number, the Topeka Literacy Council is planning a
two-day tutor training workshop on April 2 and 9 in the conference room at
Doorstep Inc., 1119 S.W. 10th.
Lisa Hammer, president of the Topeka Literacy Council,
and Kevin Koen, the council’s vice president and office manager, said the
workshop will train individuals interested in helping others learn to read and
write.
Q: It’s staggering, in today’s society, that so many
people are considered illiterate. Is it partly because of immigrants’ English
proficiency?
Hammer: We do work with many people whose primary
language isn’t English, but we have a large number of English-speaking
individuals who seek our services.
Koen: Right now, we’re tutoring more native English
speakers than ESL (English as a Second Language) students.
Q: And 8 percent? That many Shawnee County residents
can’t read?
Hammer: It isn’t necessarily that they can’t read at
all. They may simply need improvement in areas, like taking a written driver’s
exam, filling out a job application or adding amounts to fill out bank deposit
slips.
In addition to helping people with reading and
writing, we also work with people to develop basic math skills. Illiteracy
impacts so many areas — health care costs for one. If someone can’t understand
directions on a prescription bottle, they may take the wrong amount and land in
the emergency room. READ MORE @
Stahler to Join Literacy Outreach at Cazenovia Public
Library
Cazenovia Public Library is pleased
to announce that Marli Stahler has joined Carla Zimmerman as co-coordinator of
the library’s Literacy Outreach programs.
Stahler has more than 20 years of experience teaching reading, and is a
dynamic and highly skilled educator with expertise in many areas of community
service.
Stahler has been a volunteer for Cazenovia Public
Library’s Family Literacy program at CazCares since March 2015. A retired reading specialist, Stahler also
has a wealth of experience training and supervising volunteers in her work at
agencies such as the Ithaca Youth Bureau.
Marli has a special passion for working in a family literacy setting.“I
am so impressed with the caregivers who bring their children to our Story Room
at CazCares. These folks are committed
to introducing their little ones to books and literacy skills, to being their
child’s first teacher. It’s an honor to
be a part of that process. And our adult learners work hard to bring their
educational goals to fruition, meeting regularly with tutors and doing homework
in between. And, of course, all of our
work would be impossible without the dedication of our wonderful
volunteers. Cazenovia Public Library is
a special place to work.” READ
MORE @
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