Literacy – Spanning the US :: Indian River Co FL :: Syracuse NY :: Somerset Co NJ

@veroliteracy

Pass it on Literacy Services focuses on parents so they can teach their children well

TC Palm: 12.07.2016 by Fran Foster

The statistics are as surprising as they are unfortunate. One in five Indian River County residents — approximately 20,000 people — has sub-standard literacy skills, according to the Literary Services of Indian River County 2016 study.

Twenty percent of the students at LSIRC are senior citizens. Nearly 85 percent are unwed mothers, 75 percent are on welfare, 68 percent have been arrested and 60 percent are prison inmates.

Literacy Services was founded in 1971 and has been working diligently to increase literacy skills in the county ever since. Their motto is simple: one page, one book, one life at a time.

But in recent years, the organization has tried to widen its impact — from one life to many at a time — by concentrating on parents.

“While the (overall) numbers are staggering, it’s most important to realize that illiterate parents make for illiterate children,” says LSCRIC board member Don Mann. “The parents cannot read or write well, so how are they to develop their young child’s mind, or in school with homework and working with teachers?”   READ MORE @

@LiteracyCNY

LiteracyCNY continues work started by its founder, Ruth Colvin

Syracuse.com: 12.06.2016 by Marsha L. Tait, Executive Director LiteracyCNY

To the Editor:

On Friday, Nov. 18, 2016, nearly 400 people attended the Birthday Party of the Century to honor Ruth J. Colvin as she celebrates her 100th birthday and to support the organization she founded, LiteracyCNY. We thank everyone who helped to plan the celebration at the newly renovated Marriott Syracuse Downtown, particularly Bob Dewey and Doreen Kingsley, along with their committee of volunteers, who planned and led the festivities. But even more important, we thank the community members who attended the party and provided financial support to the agency.

LiteracyCNY, originally known simply as Literacy Volunteers, was founded in 1961 when Colvin read an article in the Herald American about illiteracy in Onondaga County. There were an estimated 11,000 "functionally illiterate" adults here at the time. Colvin was astounded that this could be the case right here in her own city. She tackled the problem and started working with professional reading specialists to develop tutor training and instructional materials.

Colvin made it her mission and passion to arm adults in Syracuse with the tools to learn how to read. Little could she know that her efforts would change thousands of lives, serve as the catalyst for the national volunteer adult literacy movement, and ultimately become her legacy.

Although LiteracyCNY has helped thousands of adults in Onondaga County to improve their literacy skills since then, today adult educators estimate that there are more than 60,000 adults here with only the most limited literacy and English language skills.  READ MORE @

@Litsomerset

Literacy Volunteers Partner With Somerset County Library To Serve The Community

Bridgewater Patch: 12.07.2016 by Damita Thomas

Earlier this year, Literacy Volunteers of Somerset County reported that, in one year, more than 350 students received LVSC free services: 236 adults received weekly tutoring from 184 volunteer tutors; more than 100 students participated in Conversation Groups; and 20 students completed U.S. Citizenship Preparation Classes. In all, volunteers provided more than 8,000 hours of free literacy instruction. And that’s just the beginning.

“There are many adults in our community who are eager to improve their English literacy and become an integrated part of the community,” said Aimee Lam, LVSC executive director. “Each has a different reason to seek literacy instruction: some want financial independence but need better literacy skills on the job, others want to read to their child or grandchild, and the vast majority want to be able to communicate confidently. We are proud to help these hard working individuals and are grateful to our volunteers who commit the time and energy to provide literacy instruction. To meet the local need, LVSC plans to train a greater number of volunteer tutors in 2017 while increasing Conversation Group and U.S. Citizenship Preparation class offerings in county libraries.”

LVSC has announced that the organization will once again partner with Somerset County Library System of New Jersey to provide services to the community.  READ MORE @