Literacy: Spanning the U.S.
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LITERACY PROJECT: Path to Citizenship
Bartlesville
Examiner-Enterprise: 1.26.2019 by Emily Droege
Twice a week, an upstairs room at Bartlesville’s
public library transforms into a bridge toward the American dream. There, a
small group of earnest students, helped by devoted local instructors, take the
long and challenging steps toward U.S. citizenship.
Hunched over a round table among books and piles
of paper, the students read aloud from a study guide designed to prepare them
for the U.S. naturalization exam.
They hope to join the approximately 700,000 people
around the country who become American citizens each year.
The process requires applicants to hold a green
card showing they are lawful permanent residents for at least five years, or
three years if they’re married to an American citizen.
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Volunteers are the heart of the library’s literacy
services, and Bartlesvile [sic] resident and tutor Val Callaghan recalled her
experience helping a student from Russia who recently became a citizen.
The pair worked together on a weekly basis and
covered topics like English vocabulary, grammar and reading, and prepared for
the U.S. citizenship questions. READ
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Pilot, Marathon Runner, Philanthropist, Founder…
& GED Grad
Seeds
of Literacy Blog: 2.05.2019
Your past doesn’t define your future. That was the
message shared with students, tutors, and staff at Seeds East by a special
guest in January.
There are a lot of incredible words to describe
Captain Courtney Schoch — pilot, marathon runner, mom, wife, non-profit
founder, world traveler, TEFL instructor, philanthropist.
Pretty amazing. But it wasn’t always that way.
You’d never know it to look at her, but for a long
time, her self-esteem was low. For a long time, she repeated the same cycles
she tried to escape. For a long time, the only words she felt described her
were abuse victim, ex-wife, Hooters waitress, exotic dancer, high school-drop
out.
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Although her profession is being a pilot,
Courtney’s passion is her nonprofit. Through Runucate,
she raises awareness and funds for organizations that fight illiteracy, by
running marathons all over the world. Less than a year back in the States and
the Nicaraguan school closed, she renewed her focus on Runucate and looked for
a new organization to support — and organization like Seeds.
She finds running therapeutic and she recently
joined the Seven Continents Club, committing herself to running a marathon on
every continent over the next four years. She’s already completed marathons in
the US, South Africa, and most recently, Bagan Myanmar.
Her next marathon is Easter Island, and Seeds is
part of her journey. To offset the costs of the trip, she’ll fundraise,
donating 90% of the funds to adult education at Seeds of Literacy.
The Seeds partnership with Runucate includes
Courtney sharing her story with Seeds students and tutors, many of whom quickly
realized Courtney understood their very real struggles. READ
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Literacy Volunteers of Upshur County Seeking Tutors
My
Buckhannon: 2.05.2019 by Beth Christian Broschart
Helping others is undoubtedly one of the most
rewarding undertakings in life, and right now, one Buckhannon agency is asking
folks to help them help others.
The Literacy
Volunteers of Upshur County – whose work encompasses much more than just
helping others learn to read – is looking for volunteers to help others in
need.
The Literacy Volunteers of Upshur County offers
assistance with computer skills, help completing job applications, assistance
with the written portion of the West Virginia Drivers Test, financial and
budgeting skills, and so much more.
Director Kristy Boggs Stewart said right now, the
LVUC is looking for tutors.
“We need tutors mostly, and we are looking for
volunteers who would help us sort our books to prepare for our book sales,
which are our biggest fundraisers,” Stewart said. “Tutors are people who have a
few hours a week to spend helping. They would sit down with an adult and help
them with reading or math skills.”
Stewart said the group is also seeking a new
computer tutor.
“Just to help do even a once-a-month class to
teach basic computer operations,” she said. “We have parents, grandparents and
great-grandparents who are wanting to keep up with kids and grandkids – they
want to be able to send pictures and open pictures as well as send email and
that kind of thing.” READ
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Happy
Hour with Aimee Bender
Literally
Speaking: Nov/Dec 2018
Bestselling
author Aimee Bender joined Newport/Mesa
ProLiteracy on October 6th for Newport/Mesa ProLiteracy’s (NMPL) 3rd Annual
Happy Hour. Over 100 guests mingled in the Bamboo Courtyard under the evening
sky.
Aimee
Bender was delightful while chatting with fans of her work. She signed copies
of her best-sellers: The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake, The Color Master and
The Girl in the Flammable Skirt. After lively conversations over wine and
cheese, guests made their way into the Friends Room for the Author Talk.
Aimee
began with her experience living in Newport Beach as she worked on her MFA in
Creative Writing at the University of California, Irvine. She continued to
speak about her influences, and made it clear that she is a proud proponent of
the Fairy Tale.
As
a young author, Aimee was reluctant to write her surrealist plots within an
industry where realist stories thrived. She was worried her work would not be
taken seriously. Upon receiving encouragement at UCI to treat Fairy Tales as
significant works of literature, Aimee wrote with confidence. Her short stories
and novels are filled with magical realism that intertwines the mundane,
everyday acts of life with fantastical, whimsical elements. READ MORE
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