Literacy: Spanning the U.S.
Literacy Council Board Recognized
For “Selfless Giving”
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JD
News: 12.05.2018 by Carolyn Alford
None of the Onslow Literacy Council board
members want to be recognized for the volunteer work they do to provide free,
confidential literacy training for adults in the county.
“That is exactly why they should
be recognized, the selfless giving,” said president Nivedita Mittal, who
nominated the board members as Lightkeepers through United Way’s Golden Rule
awards and Lightkeepers program that “recognizes and celebrates unsung heroes
of Onslow’s caring community.”
Board members Curtis Hildt, Donna
Poulsen, Dennis Aschbrenner, Sally Goodman, Joan Pawloski, Bob Turlington,
Howard Funk, Robert Roupe, Lisa Davis, Carolyn Alford, and Dandi Alexander have
done much more than board member duties this year with a new director and now
no director. They have kept the organization stable, filled in for everything,
plugged all the holes, managed the office, updated the website and computerized
records, conducted volunteer orientation, tutor training and some even tutor to
keep the organization on mission, Mittal said. Board members have also gone
above and beyond establishing governance, fundraising and finance committees
and updating the bylaws. Board members have served on the committees with other
community volunteers, sometimes more than one. They have partnered with other
businesses and nonprofits to collect books for Onslow County schools after Hurricane
Florence, organized fundraisers and the annual meeting, sold tickets and hams. READ
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Service Group Turns Newsstands
Into Libraries
Crimson
White: 12.03.2018 by Desi Gillespie
On the rainy morning of Alabama’s
SEC Championship game Saturday, Honors Action, a program within the UA Honors College, organized a service
project behind Nott Hall. As part of the Honors College Assembly, the
association is one of several groups that focuses on community service.
The Literacy Council of West
Alabama partnered with the Honors College to paint old newsstands donated by
The Tuscaloosa News. These new “take one, leave one” book stands became part of
the effort to encourage reading from a young age.
“We originally did two [book
stands] as a partnership with First Friends, and then the Literacy Council for
West Alabama suddenly wanted two more, so we’re giving it a go,” said Ben
Rogers, a junior majoring in chemistry and student director of civic engagement
for the Honors College Assembly. “Any time that you can encourage children to
read and to get into the great habit of reading, that’s a good effort.”
The Literacy Council of West Alabama estimates
one in four Alabamians is functionally illiterate, which means they lack the
basic skills for reading, writing and mathematics. The organization also cites
the U.S. Department of Education in saying 60 percent of American children are
reading below the level of proficiency. READ
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Speaking Their Language
Exchange offers English- and
Spanish-speakers a chance to talk.
JH
News & Guide: 12.05.2018 by Allie Gross
McKenzie McBride sets the timer
and places her phone on the table: It’s time for 30 minutes of Spanish.
“What do you do for Christmas?”
the California native asks her Mexican language partner, Neyvi Loaeza, in
Spanish, sitting beside her in a library study room.
“Normally we get together with my
family — my uncles and aunts, cousins, and make Mexican food,” Loaeza says in
Spanish. “Sometimes tamales, sometimes pozole, something like that.”
McBride and Loaeza will chat
casually like this until the timer dings to indicate it’s time to switch to 30
minutes of speaking in English.
It’s their third or fourth time
meeting as part of Jackson Hole’s
Language Exchange program, which pairs English- and Spanish-speaking
partners for a chance to practice their non-native language.
“I think both of us are pretty
shy, especially in the language that we’re learning,” said McBride, 24, who
works at Teton Literacy Center. “So this is an opportunity where it’s a safe
space that we can both practice and be comfortable.”
The program began in 2012 at Central Wyoming College, but Teton County Library and the Teton Literacy Center signed on in
2015. READ
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