Literacy: Spanning the U.S.
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This
is what Pa. prisoners want to read — and the Pittsburgh group making that
possible
The Incline:
4.20.2018 by Colin Deppen
Twice
a month, or more, volunteers gather in a basement library at the Thomas Merton
Center in Garfield with a stack of letters from prisoners across Pennsylvania.
The
letters are not appeals for legal assistance. They are not pleas of innocence.
Instead, they simply contain requests for books that the letter writers say
help make their time in confinement — sometimes solitary — both more bearable
and productive.
On
the receiving end of these letters is the Book ‘Em group,
an all-volunteer, non-profit organization based out of the Thomas Merton
Center.
Jodi
Lincoln, a Book’ Em committee member and the group’s unofficial librarian, said
the organization sends an average of 200 to 250 packages a month out to
prisoners across the Commonwealth, each with one to three books, depending on
their weight.
The
subjects of those books vary wildly — everything from photography to adult
cooking to trades and vocations to UFOs and the paranormal to legal
dictionaries.
“I
think there’s a large understanding that if you’re trapped behind prison walls
and incarcerated, your mind can still be free and it’s the only thing that can
still be free,” Lincoln said. “No one can stop you from thinking or learning
even though you might be locked away.”
“We
get letters from people in solitary [confinement], and they talk about how they
have nothing else to do with their day. So books are the only thing to kind of
keep them distracted and keep their mind off their situation.” READ MORE >>
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Andrew
Luck Honored With Literacy Hall Of Fame Award
Colts Roundup: 4.23.2018 by Heather Lloyd
A
few years into his NFL career, Colts quarterback Andrew Luck was still
struggling to find his cause.
“We
had been stewing over ideas of what to do,” he said. “What do I enjoy doing?
Where would I really want to give back? I said, ‘Shoot, I really enjoy reading.
I believe in the power of reading. Why not try and share that?’”
In
2016, he formed the Andrew Luck Book
Club. And he’s been sharing his love of reading with fans of
all ages ever since. From classics and biographies to science fiction and
non-fiction, his monthly selections cover every genre and every age group.
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As
the NFL’s unofficial librarian, Luck’s work caught the attention of Indy Reads,
a nonprofit organization that helps people with low literacy by pairing them
with volunteers to help them reach their goals.
“We
try to find someone within the community that’s been a champion of literacy.
And what better person to recognize than Andrew and his book club?” said Ryan
King, CEO of Indy Reads. READ MORE >>
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Mid-State
Literacy Council gives adults the skills they need
Centre Daily: 4.24.2018 by Amy Wilson
Adults
who seek help from Mid-State
Literacy Council have goals of obtaining employment,
accessing health care and ensuring that their children grow up to be good
readers. Since the inception of Mid-State Literacy Council in 1971, more than
14,000 low literate community members have increased their reading, writing,
math, computer and English skills. Their new skills allowed them to gain
employment, access health care and provide for their families.
“Our
students and tutors are an integral part of our community — through Mid-State,
they can come together, learn from each other and build relationships that make
this a better place to live overall," ESL program coordinator Tracy Roth
said. "I have the opportunity to hear about all the ways that tutors are
helping their students — from understanding forms from their child's school or
knowing how to ask questions about day care programs, to learning about health
insurance plans or applying for citizenship, there are so many accomplishments
they are achieving everyday."
Adults
with low literacy who are seeking employment have challenges. They need to
learn workplace vocabulary to understand employers and co-workers. READ MORE >>
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