Literacy: Spanning the U.S.
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Reading
leads to success
Clay Today: 4.18.2018
by Eric Cravey
Being
able to have a casual conversation with the cashier at Walmart may not sound
like something to aspire to, but for our neighbors who have yet to master the
English language, speaking to the cashier is a big deal.
How
about getting your cash from the ATM? Or, going to the doctor and being able to
explain how and where you hurt? Not a biggie for you and me, but, again, huge
for people who are struggling to learn English.
While
these tasks may seem small, or even petty to some, they are downright daunting
for many of the men and women who reach out to the Clay County
Literacy Coalition every day for help.
If
you were fortunate enough to be born and raised in the U.S., chances are high
that you can balance a check book, apply for a loan, conduct a job search and
read a book. Not to mention, carry on a conversation in English.
In
other words, we take for granted the basic things that allow us to be
self-sufficient contributing members of the community. We can hold a job, take
out a loan, raise children and pay taxes, etc. However, these are not easy
tasks for speakers of other languages.
That’s
what the Clay County Literacy Coalition does. It’s the only nonprofit serving
adults in Clay County who need help learning how to read. But, more than that,
the Coalition changes people’s lives. READ MORE >>
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Literacy
Council urges support after funding cuts
Blue Ridge Now: 4.19.2018 by Rebecca Walter
Facing
a 100-percent reduction in state funding, the Blue Ridge Literacy
Council is seeking the community’s help now more than ever.
Executive
Director Autumn Weil discussed the budget cuts and the nonprofit’s impact at
the Be the Key luncheon Thursday at Grace Lutheran Church. Blue Ridge Literacy
Council works to improve literacy and English communication skills for adult
learners, and the demand for the services keeps increasing.
All
17 literacy councils in North Carolina are being hit with cuts, Weil explained.
Only four or five, including Blue Ridge Literacy Council, are having their
entire state funding stripped.
The
cuts are based on the size of the literacy councils, according to Weil. The
council received around $71,000 from the state last year. Starting July 1, they
will receive nothing.
A
slash in state funding isn’t new for the council, as it has faced continued
cuts for years. READ MORE >>
Literacy
Center of the Midlands to close after nearly 50 years in Omaha
Omaha World Herald: 4.20.2018 by Micah Mertes
The
Literacy Center of the Midlands, a
48-year-old organization founded by a librarian who wanted to help adults
improve their literacy skills, is closing its doors.
The
center near 72nd and Dodge Streets stopped offering classes on April 11. It
will close permanently on April 27.
“It’s
been a privilege to serve the community and the adults who have these literacy
needs,” said Linda Butkus, the Literacy Center’s CEO. “And our heart goes out
to everybody. We hope everyone lands in a good spot. And we’re encouraging our
students to continue their education goals.”
Butkus
said the center was serving about 500 students, either at the facility or
through extensions around town. Fifteen employees were paid staff (some
full-time); more than 80 people volunteered to teach adult basic education,
pre-GED courses, English as a Second Language programs and more.
The
center’s board voted last month to dissolve the Literacy Center when they
learned that they didn’t have enough money to stay open. READ MORE >>
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Author
Brad Meltzer raises funds for adult literacy in Orlando
Orlando Sentinel: 4.20.2018 by Trevor Fraser
For
Brad Meltzer, literacy goes beyond the ability
to read. “When I think of literacy, it’s not just about how you can read my
story; it’s about how you can have that experience,” said the author from his
home in Miami. “You can have new hopes, new dreams. With books you can change
the world. And that’s why we fight to protect books. That’s why we’re doing a
fundraiser in their good name.”
The
former host of “Brad Meltzer’s Decoded” on the History channel is heading to
Orlando as the guest of honor at Reading Between the Wines, the annual
fundraiser for Orlando’s Adult
Literacy League.
A
New York native, Meltzer is known for his bestselling political thrillers such
as 1997’s “The Tenth” and his latest, “The Escape Artist.” Keeping the
population literate is a political act, according to Meltzer. “You don’t have
to go much further than any point in history to see what happens when you have
a culture that embraces learning versus one that doesn’t,” he said. “What’s the
first thing that any great despot does? They burn the books. It’s much easier
to just plow over people when they don’t have those ideas.”
For
Meltzer, 48, being introduced to books was like meeting “amazing new friends.”
“I came from a very working-class family,” he said. “I didn’t have a hard-cover
book in my house until I was in college. When I was a child, my grandmother
gave me this magical object: a library card.
READ MORE >>
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