Literacy – Spanning the US :: Grant Co IN :: Decatur IL :: Charlottesville VA

Literacy: Spanning the US       

Working To Improve Literacy

Chronicle Tribune: 4.16.2019 by Heather Cox

Since the mid-1980s, the Grant County Literacy Council has been working to improve literacy in the community.

Adults at various reading levels are able to take part in the tutoring program to reach whatever literacy goals they have set for themselves. Whether they are completely unable to read, are learning English as a second language (ESL) or want to reach a new literacy level, tutors are able to help get them where they need to be.

Jan Lankenau was a part of the Council for 25 years. Over that course of time, she was able to serve as a student tutor coordinator and as the president. She tutored ESL individuals as well as those who were in jail.

She said a Chamber of Commerce census states that 20 percent of people have a reading problem, which creates a need for the council.

Lankenau said she enjoyed being a part of the Council and teaching adults because she enjoyed meeting them and the job was full of hope.

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“We still have people who don’t read as well as they want to, they may be able to get by but they can’t read a book or the newspaper,” she said.

In the past, Miller said they’ve had an individual who simply wanted to be able to read a recipe, so that’s what she set out to do. Others have goals to learn to read to get a job or to read to their children. One 70-year-old man wanted to learn how to read the Bible and they were able to help him reach that level, she said.  READ MORE >>

Project Read Plus

Want A Different Job, But Need Math Skills To Get It? Tutors Now Available Through Project READ Plus

Herald Review: 4.16.2019 by Valerie Wells

Janice Currie has always had a heart for helping people who are sick.

Already a certified nurse assistant, Currie decided she wants to be a licensed practical nurse, and ran into a roadblock.

“I couldn't pass the (entrance) test,” said Currie, who turned to Project Read Plus for help.

With math tutor Charlotte Hanks' assistance, Currie has strengthened her basic math skills and is poised to begin working on algebra this week.

Project Read Plus has served Decatur since 1984, when the Illinois Secretary of State provided funds to help adults with low literacy skills. Project Read was established as a partnership among GED providers and community organizations Richland Community College, Macon County Regional Office of Education, Decatur School District, Decatur Public Library and others. The program became part of Richland's services in 1988 under then-President Howard Brown and is still funded in part by an Illinois Secretary of State literacy grant.

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he location of the organization's offices at the Decatur Public Library is convenient because the city bus station is nearby.  READ MORE >>

@PiedmontVaCC

Unheard Stories: Voices of Adult Learners Showcases A Different Side Of Charlottesville

C-VILLE: 3.20.2019

For more than two decades, the Voices of Adult Learners reading has brought a diverse range of writers and experiences to the book festival. “We think it’s really special, given the turmoil in Charlottesville over the last couple years,” says Carol Coffey, executive director of the Thomas Jefferson Adult Learning Center. “We have this amazing international fabric that really brings us together, but a lot of these folks are very marginalized…and they don’t have an opportunity to share their stories.”

The TJALC offers GED, ESL, and other classes to adults throughout the region. Each year, its students (along with those from partners like Literacy Volunteers and the Albemarle-Charlottesville Regional Jail) are invited to submit essays for the contest. The winners get a $25 prize, are published in an anthology, and read at the festival.

“It’s a really inspiring event,” says Coffey, who adds that the anthology is also distributed in the community.

Here are some of this year’s winning entries.  READ MORE  >>